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THE   UNIVERSITY 
OF   ILLINOIS 


LIBRARY 


3  \B.1 
P  3^  p 


lUiNOIS 

ILLINOIS  RISTORlUfag||RV!Y 


|3rcl)i0toric  America. 


The  Mound   Builders. 

Animal  Effigies. 

The  Cliff    Dwellers. 

The  Ruined  Cities  of  America. 
Myths  and  Symbols. 


"I 


THE 


MOUND  BUILDERS: 


THEIR 


WORKS  AND  KEklCS. 


BY    >^ 

Rev.  STEPHEN  DT  PEET,  Ph.  D., 

Member  of  Am.  Antiquarian  Society  ;  Am.  Oriental  Society  ;  Fellow  of  Am. 

Assoc.  Ad.  of  Sciences  :  Member  of  Victoria  Institute,  also  of  Societe  de 

Ethnographie  ;  Cor.  Member  of  Numismatic  Society  of  New  York, 

Historical  Societies  of  Virginia,  Wisconsin,  Rhode  Island,  and 

Davenport  Academy  of  Science.     Also  Editor  of    The 

American    Antiquarian    and    Oriental    Journal 


SECOND  EDITION. 


IkkUSTRATED. 


CHICAGO : 

OFFICE    OF    THE     AMERICAN     ANTIQUARIAN. 
1903. 


t 


TO  THE  OFFICERS 

OK    THB 

SMITHSONIAN  INSTITUTION. 

IN    ACKNOWLEDGEMENT   OF   THE    MANY   FAVORS   AND   KIND    WORDS 
OF   ENCOURAGEMENT   RECEIVED, 

THIS  VOLUME  IS  RESPECTPULEY  DEDICATED 

BY    THE 

AUTHOR. 


COPYRIGHT   BY  STEPHEN    D.    PEET. 


V,   / 


INTRODUCTION. 


JTJHE  first  edition  of  this  book  was  issued  just  before  the 
■*  400th  anniversary  of  the  discovery  of  America,  at  a 
time  when  especial  interest  was  awakened  in  the  history  of 
the  country.  The  present  edition  is  issued  at  a  time  when 
the  100th  anniversary  of  the  "  Louisiana  purchase  "  is  to  be 
celebrated,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  a  new  interest  will  be 
taken  in  the  prehistoric  works  of  the  Mississippi  Valley. 

It  will  be  understood  that  the  mouuds  and  monuments 
are  more  numerous  in  this  valley  than  anywhere  else  on  the 
g-lobe.  The  majority  of  these  have,  to  be  sure,  disappeared, 
and  yet  through  the  interest  which  has  been  taken  by  indi- 
viduals, a  knowledge  of  their  existence,  character,  location, 
and  contents  has  been  secured,  and  the  public  is  not  with- 
out information  in  reference  to  them.  The  Mound-Builder 
problem  is  not  as  difficult  to  solve  as  it  once  was.  Fifty  years 
or  more  ago  it  was  held  that  the  Mississippi  Valley  must 
have  been  settled  by  a  civilized  people,  who  had  migrated 
from  some  historic  country,  as  it  was  reported  that  silver 
scabbards,  Hebrew  inscriptions,  and  "triune  vases"  had  been 
discovered  in  the  mounds,  but  this  was  owing  to  a  lack  of 
real  information  and  the  misinterpretation  of  facts.  At 
the  present  time,  the  belief  is  common  and  wide  spread 
that  the  Mound-Builders  were  the  ancestors  of  the  Indians 
M'ho  occupied  the  great  valley  at  the  time  of  the  Discovery, 
and  were  the  contemporaries  of  the  Cliff-Dwellers  and  the 
Pueblos,  whose  home  was  in  the  Great  Plateau  of  the  West 
They  were  the  contemporaries  of  the  partially  civilized 
tribes  who  occupied  the  regions  of  the  Southwest,  — Mexico 
and  Central  America,— to  whom  the  many  ruined  cities, 
which  have  been  so  recently  discovered,  have  been  ascribed. 

The  author  of  this  book,  who  has  also  prepared  a  work 
on  these  "ruined  cities,"  believes  that  there  was  in  America 
during  prehistoric  times  a  stage  of  society,  and  a  type  of 
architecture  and  iirt,  which  has  nearly  passed  away,  and 
which  would  be  impossible  to  restore,  for  the  races  and 
tribes  that  formerly  existed  here,  have  been  so  subjugated 
and  overshadowed  by  the  people  who  have  taken  posses- 


.L884 


viii  INTRODUCTION. 

sion  that  they  have  jjiven  up  their  efforts  to  perpetuate 
their  old  systems,  and  many  have  even  lost  the  memor}'^  of 
them. 

It  remains,  therefore,  for  the  specialists  to  so  rehabilitate 
the  scene,  that  the  present  and  future  generations  may  be- 
come informed  as  to  the  things  which  once  existed,  and 
be  able  to  carry  back  the  record  into  prehistoric  times. 
The  day  of  controversy  over  the  Mound-Builder  problem 
has  passed.  About  the  only  question  that  arises  is  whether 
there  are  any  evidences  of  contact  with  other  countries  in 
prehistoric  times,  and  whether  the  curious  things  found  in 
the  mounds  shall  be  ascribed  to  this  or  some  other  cause. 
The  author  touches  upon  this  point  several  times,  but  does 
not  undertake  to  decide  the  question. 

The  picture  which  is  presented  by  the  mounds  and  the 
relics  is  a  very  interesting  one.  There  were,  undoubtedly, 
great  contests  between  the  tribes  and  races  before  the  Dis- 
covery. Many  changes  had  occurred  in  their  location.  The 
more  cultivated  tribes,  who  had  come  north  as  far  as  the 
Ohio  River,  and  built  their  works  and  left  their  relics,  had 
retired.  Some  of  the  Northern  tribes  had  gone  southward, 
and  were  dwelling  in  the  mountains  of  Tennessee  and  along 
the  rivers  that  flow  into  the  Atlantic;  but  there  were  many 
villages  scattered  along  the  watercourses,  both  in  the  North 
and  in  the  South,  which  showed  that  the  people  were  really 
more  advanced  than  they  were  after  the  time  of  the  Dis- 
covery, for  the  presence  of  the  white  man  put  an  end  to  the 
condition  of  society  which  was  purely  aboriginal,  and  in- 
troduced a  style  of  art  and  architecture  and  a  form  of 
society  which  was  more  European  than  native  American. 

It  is  certainly  very  interesting  to  open  the  door  and  get 
a  view  of  a  condition  of  things  which  once  existed,  but  will 
never  be  seen  again.  It  was  not  such  a  civilization  as  has 
been  recently  disclosed  by  the  discoveries  in  the  far  East ; 
nor  was  it  such  a  civilization  as  formerly  existed  in  the 
central  provinces  of  Mexico  and  Central  America;  but  it 
was  a  stage  of  society  so  unique  and  so  purely  aboriginal, 
that  it  would  seem  that  every  American  citizen  should  know 
about  it. 


TABlcE  OF  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   I. 
The  Distribution  of  Mounds ^ 

CHAPTER  H. 
The  Mound-Builders  and  Their  Works 15 

CHAPTER  HI. 
The  Mound-Builders  and  the  Mastodon 3^ 

CHAPTER  IV. 
The  Mound-Builders  and  the  Indians 49 

CHAPTER  V. 
Burial  Mounds  Viewed  as  Monuments 59 

CHAPTER  VI. 
The  Sacred  Enclosures  of  Ohio ^i 

CHAPTER   VII. 
The  Great  Cahokia  Mound 97 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  Migration  OF  the  Mound  Builders 113 

CHAPTER  IX. 
Village  Life  and  the  Mound  Buildehs'  Cultus 133 

CHAPTER  X. 
The  Race  Question ^57 

CHAPTER   XI. 
Defensive  Works  of  the  Mound-Builders 185 

CHAPTER  XII. 
Religious  Works  of  the  Mound-Builders 221 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
The  Water  Cult  and  the  Solar  Cult 245 

CHAPTER  XIV. 
The  Relics  of  the  Mississippi  Vallfy 273 

CHAPTER  XV. 
Symbolic  Carving  A>-ong  the   Mounds 293 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
The   Southern    Mound-Botlders;    Their    Works    and 

Their    Relics 309 


IkbUSTRATIONS. 


CHAPTER  I. 

PAGE. 

Figure    i — Mound  at  Marathon,  Greece 3 

2— Burial    Mound  of  Protesilaus,  Thessaly 5 

3 — Burial  Mounds  in  China 1 1 

4 — Burial  Mound  of  a  Norse  Sea  King 14 

5 — Burial  Mound  of  an  Ancient  Briton 15 

CHAPTER  II. 

Figure  14 — Animal  E  ffigies 22 

15— Burial  Mounds  in  Illinois 23 

16 — Fort  at  Conneaut,  Ohio 24 

17 — Fort  at  Weymouth,  Ohio 25 

18 — Village  Enclosure  in  Ohio 26 

19 — Village  of  the  Stone  Grave   People 28 

20— Chunky  Yard  in  Georgia 29 

CHAPTER   III. 

Figure    i— Elephant  Effigy  in  Wisconsin 32 

2  and  3— Obsidian  Arrows  from  Idaho 33 

4,  5.  6  and  7— Shell  Beads  from  Mounds 33 

8 — Bone  Needles   33 

9 — Pottery  Vase  from   Michigan 34 

10 — Hoes  from  Tennessee 35 

1 1 — Sickles  from  Tennessee 36 

12 — Banner  Stone  from  Florida 37 

13 — Gold  (not  Silver)  Ornament  from  Florida 38 

14 — Gold  (not  Silver)  Ornament  from  Florida 38 

15— Nondescript  Animal  from  Davenport  Mound 39 

16 — Copper  Ax  Covt-red  with  Cloth 40 

17 — Elephant  Pipe  found  in  Corn-field  in  Iowa 41 

18 — Section  of  Mound  on  Cook  Farm  in  Iowa 42 

19 — Plan  of  Mound  on  Cook    Farm 43 

20 — Hieroglyphics  on  Davenport  Tablet 44 

21 — Hieroglyphics  on  Stone  Tablet 45 

22— Map  of  the  Mounds  on  Cook  Farm  in  Iowa 47 

23 — Altar  Containing  Sandstone  Tablet . .    47 

24 — Davenport  Tablet 48 

CHAPTER   IV. 

Figure    i— Buffalo  and  Bear  near  Prairie-du-Chien 49 

2 — Earthworks  at  Hopeton,  Ohio 51 

3 — Stratified  Mounds  near  Davenport 53 

4 — Circle  and  Square  near  Chillicothe,  Ohio 54 

5 — Circle  and  Square  on  Paint  Creek,  Ohio 55 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  xi 
CHAPTER  V. 

PAGE. 

Figure    i— Burial  Mounds  near  Gideon's  Bay,  Minnesota 66 

2 — Mound  near  Moline,  Illinois 68 

3— Mound  and  Shell  Heap,  Tohead  Island 68 

4 — Group  of  Mound*  on  a  High  Ridge 69 

5 — Burial  Mounds  near  Moline,  Illinois 69 

6 — Burial  Mounds  near  Wyalusing,  Wisconsin 70 

7 — Effigies  near  Beloit,  Wisconsin 71 

8 — Effigies  and  Mounds  near  Koshkonong,  Wisconsin 71 

9 — Mounds  at  Waukesha.  Wisconsin 72 

10— Mounds  at  Indian  Ford,  Wisconsin 72 

1 1 — Mounds  on  Rock  River 72 

12 — Mounds  at  Newton,  Wisconsin 72 

13 — Burial  Mounds  near  Aztlan 73 

14 — Stone  GravLS  in  Ohio 75 

15 — Altar  Burial  in  Hopewell  Mound 76 

16 — Body  Showing  Copper  Mask  and  Copper  Horns "]"] 

CHAPTER  VI. 

Figure    i— Platform  Mound  near  Marietta.  Ohio 83 

2 — Platform  and  Circle  at  Highbank,  Ohio 84 

3 — Circular  Mound  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio   ....  85 

4 — Circle  and  Square  at  Circleville,  Ohio 86 

5 — Octagon  and  Circle  at  Newark,  Ohio 87 

6 — Works  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio 94 

CHAPTER  VII. 

Figure    i — Cahokia  Mound 98 

2 — Big  Mound  at  St.  Louis 104 

3 — Map  of  Works  at  St.  Louis 106 

4  — Pyramids  and  Effigies  at  Aztlan,  Wi?conbin no 

CHAPTER  VIII. 

Figure    i — Grave  Creek  Mound 114 

2 — Map  of  Works  on   Paint  Creek,  Ohio 115 

3 — Fort  at  Hardinsburg,  on  the  Miami  Rivi  r,  Ohio 116 

4 — Great  Mound  at  Vincennes,  Indiana 117 

5 — Typical  Fort  of  the  Stone  Grave  People 1 18 

6 — Burial  Mounds  on  the  Scioto  River,  Ohio 119 

7 — Serpent  Mound  in  Ohio 122 

8 — Serpent  Mound  in  Illinois 123 

9 — Altar  Mound  on  the  Kenawha  River, 124 

10 — Village  Enclosure  on  the  Scioto  River,  Oh  o 126 

II — Stratified  Mound  in  Wisconsin 130 

CHAPTER   IX. 

Figure    i — Village  with  Water  Supply 134 

2 — Village  with  Sacrificial  Mound 135 

3 — Stockade  Village  near  Granville,  Ohio 136 

4 — Stockade  Village  in  Ohio 137 

5— Stockade  Village  Four  Mile  Creek,  Ohio.. 138 


XII  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGB. 

Figure    6--Sacred  Enclosures  in  Kentucky 139 

o— Mound-Builders'  Village  and  Covered  Way 140 

o — Stockade  Fort  in  Tennessee 141 

o — Stockade  Fort  in  Ohio 141 

o — Mound  Builders'  Fort 147 

7 — Observatory  Mound  at  Newark 153 

8— Graded  Way  at  Piketon,  Ohio 154 

CHAPTER  X. 

Figure    i— Mound  No  2,  Mound  City 163 

2 — Mound  No.  3,  Mound  City 163 

3— Mound   No.  18,  Mound  City 164 

4— Mound  No.  6,  Mound  City '. 164 

5 — Mound  No.  10,  Mound  City 165 

6 — Paved  Altar  at  Mound  Citv 165 

7 — Sculptured  Pipe  from  Altar  Mound  No.  8 166 

8  —Enclosure  on  Paint  Creek 167 

9— Sculptured  Bird  from  Altar  Mound  No.  8 168 

10 — Spool  Ornaments  from  Tennessee 170 

1 1 — Double  Mound  near  Chillicothe 173 

12— Succession  of  Burials  in  the  Adena  Mound 174 

14— Cahokia  Mound  Restored 176 

15 — Boat-Shaped  Gorget  and  Amulets 178 

16 — Copper  Bracelet  from  the  Adena  Mound 179 

17 — Piece  of  Cloth  from  the  Adena  Mound 180 

18 — Racoon  Amulet  from  the  Adena  Mound 180 

19— StiMie  Mace  from  the  Stone  Graves   181 

20 — Sculptured  Head  from  the  Ohio  Mounds 182 

21— Pottery  Portrait  from  the  Stone  Graves 182 

22— Pottery  Pipe  from  the  Gulf  States 182 

23  — Inscribed  Tablet  from  an  Ohio  Mound 183 

CHAPTER  XI. 

Fij^ure    I— Hill  Fort  near  Chillicothe.  Ohio 188 

2— Map  of  Forts  on  Miami  River   189 

3— Stockade  Fort  at  Newburgh,  Ohio 193 

4— Fort  at  Colerain,  Ohio 198 

5— Fort  near  Hamilton,  Ohio 199 

6— Fort  Ancient .' 203 

7 — FarmersvHle  Fort,  on  Big  Twin  River 207 

8 — Carlisle  Fort,  Ohio 209 

9 — Stone  Fort  on  Massie's  Creek 211 

10— Mandan  Fort  on  the:  Missouri  River 215 

1 1 — Walled  Town  on  Big  Harpeth,  Tennessee 216 

1 2 — Stone    F'ort 217 

13— Swamp  Village  With  Defences  and  Lodge-  Circles 219 

CHAPTER    XII. 

Figuie    I — Chambered  Mound  on  Iowa  River 223 

2— Chambered  Mound  near  East  Dubuque 224 

3 — Chambered  Mound  in  Crawford  County,  Wisconsin 225 


ILLUSTRATIONS.  xiii 

FAGB. 

Figure    4 — Circle  of  Skeletons  at  East  Dubuque 226 

5 — Chambered  Mound  in  Missouri 226 

6 — Animal  Totems  in  Wisconsin 237 

7 — Turtle  Totems  in  Wisconsin 228 

8 — Myth  Bearer  of  the  Dakotas 22q 

9 — Myth  Bearer  from  a  Cave  in  Wisconsin 229 

10 — Alligator  Mound  and  Altar  in  Ohio 230 

II — Copper  Axes  and  Pottery  Vessels  from  Toolsboro,  Iowa. .  234 

12 — Skeletons  in  Mound  near  Davenport 235 

13 — Crescent  and  Circle 236 

14 — Copper  Mace  from  Etowah  Mound 237 

15 — Fire  Bed  in  the  Shape  of  a  Crescent  and  Circle 239 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

Figure    i — Horseshoe  Enclosures  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio 249 

2^Effigy  of  Elephant  m  a  Circle,  on  the  Scioto  River,  Ohio.  250 

3 — Concentric  Sun  Circles  and  Terraced  Mound  251 

4 — Terraced  Mound  opposite  Portsmouth,  Ohio 252 

5 — Enclosure  and  Covered  Way,  Portsmouth,  Ohio 253 

6 — Circle  and  Square  on  Paint  Creek 20 

7 — Sacred  Enclosure  near  Anderson,  Indiana 257 

8 — Sun  Circle  on  White  River,  Indiana 258 

9 — Circle  and  Ellipse  near  Anderson,  Indiaria 258 

10 — Sun  Circle  and  Graded  Way  in  West  Virginia 259 

II — Plan  of  Altar   Mound 260 

12 — Altar  in  Shape  of  Circle 20 

13 — Altar  Mound 271 

14 — Altar  in  Relief 261 

15— Crescent  Pavement 262 

16^ — Works  at  Alexandersville,  Ohio 264 

17 — Works  at  Worthington,  Ohio 265 

18 — Spool  Ornament  and  Cioss  from  Stone  Grave 266 

19 — Pipe  from  Etowah  Mound 267 

20 — Circle  and  Crescent  Pavement  at  Circleville,  Ohio 269 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

Figure    i — Maces  and  Badges  from  Ohio 275 

2 — Arrow-Heads  from  Wisconsin 283 

3 — Chunky  Stones  from  Tennessee 286 

4 — Pottery  Bowl  from  Tennessee 287 

CHAPTER  XV. 

Figure    i — Symbols  found  m  Copper  Relics  from  Hopewell  Mound..  296 

2 — Symbols  found  in  the  Effigy  Mounds 297 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

Figure    i — Works  at  St.  Louis 310 

2 — Pyramids  at  Walnut  Bayou 311 

3 — Pyramid  Mounds  at  Prairie  Jefferson 312 

4 — Village  on  Ocmulgee  River 313. 


xiv  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PACE. 

Figure    5— The  Etowah  Mound 314 

6 — Stone  Cist  in  the  Shape  of  a  Hut 317 

7 — Mound-Bnilders'  House  Wall 317 

8 — Head  Vase  from  Tennessee 318 

9— Pottery  from  Ash-Pits  in  Ohio 3ig 

10 — Pottery  from  Ash-Pits  in  Ohio 319 

1 1 — Pottery  from  the  Stone  Graves 320 

12— Vase  With  Three  Heads 324 

13 — Florida  Pottery 325 

14 — Copper  Relics  from  Iowa  Mound 326 

15 — Copper  Plate  from  Mound  in  Wisconsin 327 

16 — Shell  Gorget  from  Etowah  Mound 328 

17— Copper  Relics  from  Florida 32g 

19 — Sun  Symbol  on  Shell  Gorget 331 

20 — Birds'  Heads  and  Looped  Square 332 

21 — Spider  Gorget  from  Missouri 332 

22— Fighting  Figures  Irom  Stone  Graves 333 

23— P'Rhting  Figures  from  Mexico 333 

24 — Suastikft  on  Shell  Gorget 334 

25 — Idol  from  Knox  County,  Tennessee. 336 

26 — ^Idol  from  Tennessee 339 

27 — Idol  from  Georgia 339 


LIST  OF  PLATES  AND  MAPS. 


Frontispiece— Ancient  Earthworks 
at  Marietta. 

Earthworks  at  Marietta,  page  i. 

Conical  Mound  at  Marietta,  p.  2. 

Map  of  Burial  Mounds  near  Mus- 
catine, page  17. 

Map  of  Works  on  the  Scioto  River, 
page  18. 

Village  Enclosure  on  the  Scioto, 
page  48. 

Indian  Encampment  at  Detroit, 
page  4Q. 

Map  of  Burial  Mounds  in  Min- 
nesota, page  58. 

Burial  Mounds  at  Detroit,  page  59 

Burial  Mounds  in  Ohio,  page  74. 

Burial  Mound  at  Chillicothe,  p.  74. 

The  Adena  Mound,  near  Chilli- 
cothe,  page  75. 

Mound  Containing  Stone  Graves, 
page  79. 

Stone  Mound  Containing  Succes- 
sion of  Burials,  page  80. 

Circles  and  Squares  in  Ohio,  p.  88. 

Crescents  and  Circles  in  Oblong 
Enclosure,  page  89. 

Map  of  Village  in  Marietta,  p.  132. 

Village  Enclosures  at  Newark,  133. 

Village  Enclosures  and  Dance 
Circles,  page  144. 

Village  Enclosures  and  Covered 
Way,  page  145. 

Pyramid  Mounds  in  Illinois,  p.  158. 

Pyramid  Mounds  in  Missiisippi, 
page  159. 

Pyramid  Mound  at  Etowah,  p.  160. 

Copper  Eagle  from  Etowah 
Mound,  page  171. 

Eagle  Man  from  Etowah  Mound, 
page  172. 

Pyramid  at  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas, 
page  176. 

The  Knapp  Mound,  page  177. 


Map  of  the  Works  of  the  Mound- 
Builders,  page  182. 
Map  of  the  Indian  Tribes,  p.  183. 
Earth  Fort  in    Highland  County, 

Ohio,  page  200. 
Stone  Fort  in  Ross  County,  Ohio. 

page  201. 
Stockade  and  Stone  Forts  in  Ohio, 

page  216 
Stockade  Forts  in  Northern  Ohio, 

page  217, 
Stockade  Forts  in  Southern  Ohio, 

page  218. 
Fort   and  Village  Sites  in   North 

Carolina,  page  219. 
Fort  and  Bastion  in  Tennessee,  220 
Works  in  Portsmouth,  page  262. 
Works  in  Newark,  page  263. 
Temple  Platform  at  Cedar  Bank, 

page  264. 
Shell  Gorgets,  page  265. 
Relics  from  Tennessee,  page  2S4. 
Implements  and  Ornaments  from 

Tennessee,  page  301. 
Inscribed  Shells  from  Tennessee, 

page  301. 
Inscribed     Shells    and     Suastikas 

from  Tennessee,  page  301, 
Cahokia  Tablet,  page  303. 
Inscribed  Shells  from  Tennessee, 

page  304. 
Pottery   Kettles   and   Bowls  from 

Tennessee,  page  315. 
Pottery  Bowls  from  Stone  Graves, 

page  316. 
Pottery    Portraits  from  the  Stone 

Graves,  page  321. 
Pottery  Bottles  from  Arkansas,  322 
Wooden  Tablets  from  the  Florida 

Keyes,  page  338. 
Idol  Pipe  from  the  Adena  Mound. 

page  338. 


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THE  MOUND   BUILDERS. 


CHAPTER   I. 


THE   DISTRIBUTION  OF  MOUNDS. 

The  world  is  full  of  monuments.  Some  of  them  are  made 
of  earth;  others  of  stone,  and  others  of  bronze.  Each  in  their 
turn  indicate  a  new  age  and  the  progress  of  civilization.  The 
history  of  the  past  is  made  known  by  these  mute  witnesses. 
There  is  scarcely  any  land  which  has  not  its  records  kept  by 
these  monuments  in  one  form  or  another,  but  the  earliest  of  alj 
is  that  contained  in  the  mounds. 

The  first  striking  event  in  the  history  of  any  community,  is 
the  first  birth  or  first  death,  and  so  it  is  with  the  history  of  the 
human  race.  We  go  back  to  the  earliest  record  and  find  the 
story  of  the  first  pair,  and  soon  after  the  story  of  the  first 
death.  It  is  conceded  that  the  earliest  monuments  were 
placed  over  the  bodies  of  some  distinguished  dead.  So  the 
earth  mounds  of  every  land  may  be  regarded  as  mementos  of 
tribes  and  peoples  that  have  passed  away.  Nothing  is  more 
sacred  to  the  human  heart  than  the  meniory  of  the  dead.  It 
is  a  sentiment  which  is  as  strong  among  wild  Indians  as  among 
civilized  people. 

The  earth  mound  was  to  them  a  memento  of  the  past. 
To  us  the  dearest  associations  are  those  which  unite  the  visible 
with  the  invisible,  the  past  with  the  present.  And  so  it  has 
been  with  others.  As  generation  after  generation  was  gathered 
to  its  fathers,  the  growing  mound  would  increase  the  sacred- 
ness  of  the  spot. 

It  is  thus  that  we  arrive  at  a  motive  sufficient  for  the-  great 
pyramidal  structures.  Human  nature,  true  to  its  original  in- 
stincts, thus  hallowed  its  inmost  feelings  by  the  great  mound. 
Such  is  the  reason  for  supposing  the  pyramids  to  precede 
every  form  of  religious  edifice.  The  highest  thought  of  im- 
mortality is  aided  by  these  monuments  of  the  departed.  His- 
tory and'  architecture  agree  in  this:  that  the  pyramids  arc  the 
oldest  monuments,  but  there  are  tumuli  found  everywhere 
in  the  habitable  globe  which  are  much  older. 

The  universality  of  mounds  throughout  a  large  portion  of 
the  world,  only  shows  that  man  everywhere  possesses  the 
same  religious  instincts  and  uses  the  same  method  for  honor- 


2  PREHISTORIC  MONlJ^EhTt^. 

ing  the  divinities,  and  shows  regard  for  ancestors  in  about  the 
same  way.  It  is  by  following  the  course  of  architectural  de- 
velopment in  the  Old  World  that  we.  find  the  law  which  pre- 
vailed in  the  New.  The  remote  period  in  which  the  great 
number  ot  monuments  v/ere  erected,  leads  us  to  pay  a  regard 
to  the  monuments  of  our  own  land.  It  may  be  that  if  we  bet- 
ter appreciated  the  feelings  which  exist  in  all  hearrs  and 
homes,  we  would  look  upon  the  mounds  that  surround  us, 
with  a  greater  sense  of  their  sacredness.  The  record  con- 
tained in  them  is  not  so  important  as  that  contained  in  the 
monuments  of  the  East,  yet  the  consecutiveness  of  architect- 
ure in  both  hemispheres,  and  the  singular  parallelism  seen  in 
l:)oth  worlds,  makes  the  study  of  mounds  and  monuments  very 
important. 

In  every  land  we  meet  with  tokens  of  respect  for  the  dead. 
We  cannot  expect  to  find  in  the  mounds  of  this  country  any 
such  record  as  is  contained  in  those  mounds  in  which  many  of 
the  ancient  cities  lie  buried:  but  we  may  at  least  ascertain 
what  kind  of  structures  were  erected  in  prehistoric  times,  and 
by  this  means  gain  a  view  of  the  beginnings  of  architecture 
even  better  than  in  the  Old  World.  The  same  is  true  of  the 
beginnings  of  art,  for  while  certain  tokens  of  the  Stone  Age 
have  been  discovered  in  the  historic  lands,  yet  if  we  are  to 
learn  about  the  art  of  the  Stone  Age  we  need  to  examine  the 
relics  which  are  hidden  beneath  the  mounds  of  the  Mississippi 
valley. 

The  work  of  mound  exploration  has  fallen  into  discredit, 
because  of  the  motives  which  have  ruled  with  many;  yet  there 
are  lessons  to  be  learned  even  here.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  these  silent  mounds  were  the  result  of  religious  ceremonies, 
which  followed  one  anoiher  through  many  centuries,  and  were 
practiced  by  many  tribes.  The  many  generations  have  left 
their  record  in  them,  which  makes  them  like  the  leaves  of  a 
book  which  may  well  be  compared  to  the  "  Book  of  the  Dead." 

Among  the  people  situated  as  we  suppose  the  earh  inhabi- 
tants of  this  country  to  have  been,  these  contain  the  only 
records.  The  continuity  of  the  same  race  in  the  same  country, 
and  uninfluenced  by  any  foreign  element,  continued  until  the 
time  of  the  Discovery.  There  may  have  been  many  tribes, 
but  they  were  all  aboriginal.  What  length  of  time  was  required 
for  these  successive  manifestations  we  cannot  say.  We  know 
there  were  many  ages  through  which  architecture  struggled  in 
the  Old  World,  and  we  may  expect  to  find  traces  of  many 
generations  in  the  New.  From  the  pyramid  to  the  temple,  in 
Egypt,  was  a  far  cry  which  extended  through  1,500  years,  and 
it  may  be  that  the  same  length  of  time  elapsed  between  the 
beginning  and  ending  of  the  mound-building  period. 

The  interval  between  the  earliest  grave  in  Egypt  and  the 
building  of  the  pyramid  at  Ghizeh  may  have  been  very  long,  but 
It  is  unknown  how  long  a   time  elapsed  between  the  first  ap- 


TriE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  MOUMDS.  ^ 

pearance  of  man  here  on  this  continent  and  the  beginning  of 
the  mound-building  period. 

There  were  various  and  succeeding  phases  of  society  m  the 
Eastern  World  before  history  began  to  be  written.  In  the 
Western  World  no  history  was  really  written  until  the  advent 
of  the  white  man;  and  \'et  there  are  many  evidences  that  a  rude 
civilization  had  prex'ailed  here  long  before  that  time.  It  is 
from  the  careful  study  of  archeology  that  we  are  to  carry  the 
records  back,  and  learn  about  the  changes  and  events  which 
occurred. 

These  massive  monuments  arc  before  us  as  the  memorials 
of  the  past,  and  we  nre  not  to  destroy  them  until  we  have  found 
the  record.  The  history  of  mound-building  will,  then,  be  ap- 
propriate here. 

There  is  a  description  in  Homer  of  the  process  of  mound- 
building,  which   was   common  in   his   day,  for  it  was  over  the 


MOUND   AT    .MARATHON,    GREECE. 

grave  of  Patroclus  that  a  sacrifice  or  hecatomb  of  oxen  was 
made,  and  that  a  mound  was  erected.  Xenophon  also  has 
made  a  record  of  the  manner  in  which  those  slain  in  battle 
were  buried,  so  that  we  know  that  the  habit  of  mound-building 
was  common  then  and  had  probably  survived  from  the  pre- 
historic into  the  historic  period.  It  is  by  this  means  that  we 
have  been  able  to  identify  and  to  know  that  the  site  of  the 
battle  of  Marathon,  which  was  one  of  the  most  memorable 
events  in  the  history  of  Greece,  is  the  monument  of  those  who 
fell  in  that  battle. 

There  is  also  a  mound  on  the  coast  of  Asia  Minor,  which  is 
a  monument  of  the  Siege  of  Troy,  described  by  Homer. 
Schliemann  discovered  it,  and  identified  it  as  the  one  in  which 
was  buried  the  hero.  Protesilaus,  who  led  the  warriors  of 
Thessaly  against  Troy,  and  was  the  first  Greek  who  jumped  on 
shore.  The  tradition  of  antiquity  attributed  it  to  him.  This 
tumulus  and  the  gardens  around  are  strewn  with  fragments  of 
thick  black  pottery,  which  are  very  ancient,  and  similar  to  that 


4  PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 

found  in  the  first  city  at  Troy.  There  are  other  mounds  scat^ 
tered  over  the  globe,  which  are  monuments  of  events  of  nearly 
equal  importance,  but  are  not  so  well  known  because  no  Homer 
or  Schliemann  has  arisen  to  make  known  the  event,  or  identify 
the  mound  with  it. 

The  large  majority  of  mounds  and  monuments  of  the  East 
were  erected  as  places  where  the  remains  of  the  deceased  could 
be  buried,  and  where  the  personal  possessions,  especially  those 
which  were  the  most  treasured,  could  be  deposited.  It  is  very 
singular  how  wide-spread  was  this  custom  of  depositing  the 
treasures  of  the  deceased  along  with  the  body.  We  speak  of 
the  habit  of  the  North  American  Indian,  of  depositing  the 
relics  with  the  body  of  the  dead,  the  most  of  which  were 
made  of  stone  or  copper  or  shell,  and  have  been  preserved,  so 
that  through  them  we  can  learn  about  the  art  of  the  Stone  Age. 
But  the  same  custom  prevailed  among  the  nations  of  the  East, 
long  after  the  Stone  Age  had  passed  away,  so  that  one  of  the 
means  by  which  we  may  learn  about  the  art  and  social  condi- 
tion which  prevailed  in  the  Bronze  Age  up  to  the  beginning  of 
the  Iron  Age.  is  to  enter  the  tombs  and  draw  from  them  the 
treasures  wliich  they  contain. 

This  practice  of  burying  treasures  with  the  dead  prevailed  • 
in  Egypt  as  well  as  Greece.  The  view  of  immortality  led  the 
Egyptians  to  make  the  tomb  in  the  shape  of  a  house  and  to 
place  a  statue  in  the  tomb,  but  to  bury  the  body  below  the 
tomb,  and  treasures  with  the  body.  Even  pyramids  were  built 
in  this  wa)'.  There  was  a  chamber  in  the  pyramid,  but  the  body 
was  below  it.  The  mound-building  habit  of  the  Egyptians 
reached  its  highest  point  in  the  pyramids. 

With  the  Babylonians  the  case  was  different.  Many  houses 
and  palaces,  temples,  libraries,  and  statues  have  been  found 
buried  in  the  great  mounds;  no  such  burials  as  have  been  pre- 
sented by  the  tomb  of  Mycenae,  nor  such  mummies,  as  are  num- 
erous in  Egypt. 

The  tombs  are  built  in  the  form  of  houses;  many  of  which 
were  conical  in  shape,  and  resembled  the  early  houses,  rather 
than  those  which  were  occupied  by  kings;  so  that  there  is  a 
double  advantage  in  opening  the  tombs.  We  learn  about  the 
ancient  architecture  as  well  as  the  early  art,  and  find  a  record 
which  is  as  useful  as  if  there  had  been  a  written  account  of  the 
scenes  and  circumstance  of  the  times.  It  was  on  this  account 
that  the  explorations  by  Schliemann  in  Greece  are  so  valuable. 
It  was  his  acquaintance  with  the  Greek  language  and  his  ad- 
miration for  Homer  that  led  him  to  dig  into  the  great  hill  at 
Hissarlik,  and  as  a  result  he  was  able  to  identify,  not  only 
the  site  of  ancient  Troy,  but  to  discover  the  traces  of  sixteen 
cities  which  had  arisen  upon  the  spot  and  gone  to  ruin,  making 
successive  layers,  by  which  the  age  of  the  cities  could  be  identi- 
fied. The  relics  which  were  discovered  show  the  progress  of 
civilization,  as  well  as  of  art  and  architecture.      It  was  also  his 


THE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  MOUNDS.  5 

familiarity  with  classic  writers  that  led  him  to  undertake  his 
expeditions  at  Tiryns,  Mycen;e,  and  Athens,  which  resulted 
in  such  wonderful  discoveries. 

The  tombs  of  the  ancient  kings  contained  treasures  of  great 
value;  but  a  benefit  came  to  the  world  from  his  discovery, 
which  cannot  be  measured  in  dollars  and  cents,  tor  the  relics  of 
art  which  were  exhumed,  have  thrown  light  upon  the  period 
which  has  not  ceased  to  astonish  even  the  best  of  scholars. 
They  have  not  only  become  familiar  with  the  magnificence 
which  prevailed  in  the  palaces  of  the  kings,  but  have  learned 
much  concerning- the  common  things  in  use  among  the  people. 
We  may  say  then,  that  mound  exploration  in  America  has 
received  a  new  dignity,  and  the  relics  which  are  exhumed  from 
them  have  an  additional  value  from  the  fact  that  they  can  be 
compared  with  the  treasures  taken  from  the  tombs  of  the 
East,  and  so  the  different  stages  of  progress   may  be  learned. 


N*  i33.^Tua)iUu*  of  froiCMUua  oa  the  ThraciAn  Cbcnoocaiu  oppowte  itic  Plua  of  Troy- 


BURIAL     MOUND   OF    PROTESILAUS,   THESSALY. 

Nor  does  ihe  value  of  mound  exploration  cease  with' the  knowl- 
edge of  classic  history,  for  the  Bible  itself  has  received  a  new 
light  as  a  result  of  mound  explorations. 

There  are  very  few  burial  mounds  in  the  Holy  Lands,  and 
the  relics  of  extreme  antiquity  are  lacking;  but  there  are 
mounds  and  monuments  even  theie,  which  carjy  us  back  to 
the  days  of  Abraham,  or  even  earlier. 

In  fact,  the  Stone  Age  antedated  the  Bronze  Age  and  the 
Iron  Age  in  all  parts  of  the  world,  and  we  have  a  much  clearer 
idea  as  to  the  social  conditions  which  prevailed  in  Egypt, 
Syria,  Babylonia  and  other  parts  of  the  world,  after  studying 
the  relics  and  remains  of  the  prehistoric  peoples  buried  in  these 
mounds,  than  we  would  have  without  them. 

They  belonged  to  a  race  totally  unlike  those  whose  monu- 
ments are  discovered  in  the  East,  yet  the  supposition  is  that 
they  originated  in  the  Old  World,  and  represent  the  races 
which  once  existed  there. 


6  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

Great  efforts  are  being  made  to  learn  about  the  relics  of 
the  Stone  Age  in  the  Old  World,  for  from  them  we  learn  the 
beginnings  of  art  and  architecture,  and  even  of  religious  sym- 
bols, and  the  efforts  which  have  been  so  successful  here  in 
bringing  out  the  peculiarities  of  that  age,  may  be  of  great 
assistance  to  the  archaeologists  elsewhere. 

The  scarcity  of  the  relics  of  the  Stone  Age  in  Greece  and 
Babylonia  and  Egypt  seems  to  be  lamented,  yet  enough  have 
been  discovered  to  show  that  that  age  did  really  exist  in  those 
lands.     Perrot  and  Chipiez  say  : 

When  we  attempted  to  draw  up  the  balance  sheet  of  the  Grecian  Stone 
Age,  we  are  not  beset  with  an  embracing  mass  of  material,  such  as  is  seen 
in  Mexiro,  Scandinavia  and  other  lands.  The  paucity  of  objects  of  this 
nature  standout  all  the  more  clearly  from  the  contrasts.  We  cannot  de- 
mand of  this  country  megalithic  monuments,  menhirs,  cromlechs,  or  dol- 
mens, for  the  simple  reason  that  none  are  found  in  Greece  or  on  the  coast 
of  Asia  Minor.  The  pile  villages  that  were  broui^ht  to  light  in  Thessaly 
and  Macedonia,  have  turned  out  to  be  quite  modern,  and  have  no  connec- 
tion whatever  with  the  palaffittes  mentioned  by  Herodotus,  In  them,  more- 
over, no  objects  dating  back  to  antiquity  have  been  discovered.  Tht  re  is 
little  reason  for  seriously  examining  the  stone  (jr  flint  yard  in  Accadia  or 
Orchomenus,  or  the  kitchen  middens  wh.ch  have  been  pointed  out  in 
Salamis.  Still,  on  the  other  hand,  researches  are  tncoura>;td  by  the  knnv\  I- 
edge  that  towns  that  played  so  brilliant  a  part  in  history  were  oten  built  on 
much  older  settlements,  so  that  when  sub-structures  or  foundations  w.  re 
laid  bare,  instead  of  the  looked-for  classical  buildings,  they  frequently 
present  remains  of  villages  in  which  had  lived  the  earliest  inhabitants  of 
the  country.  Of  the  different  pieces  representing  the  Stone  Age.  fragments 
of  obsidian  and  flint  cut  to  a  point  are  numerous  and  widei>  distributed. 
Schliemann's  excavations  alone  have  yielded  thousands.  Ihe  larj^est  crop 
comes  from  Hi^sarlik.  but  Mycence  and  Tiryns  furnish  fine  specimens  also. 
Pieces  of  obsidian  fall  under  two  different  htads:  sltnder  cones  fitted  to 
wood,  or  bone  handled,  to  be  used  as  a  javelin;  or  thin  triant^iilar  blades, 
intended  to  go  through  the  air  and  hit  the  mark  at  a  distance  (arrow-hea  !s).' 
Long  fine  blades,  whether  as  knives  or  saws  are  not  common  here. 

There  is  yet  another  class  of  instruments  winch  a  widespread  super- 
stition has  done  much  to  popularize.  The  Greeks  designated  them  "Astral 
Stones."  The  French  and  Turks  call  them  "Thunder  Stones."  We  al.ude 
to  polished  stone  axes,  which  are  sn  largely  represented  in  our  co  lertunis. 
They  represent  the  first  efforts  of  a  primitive  people  to  emerge  from  bar- 
barism,  a  status  which  was  not  bO  apparent  in  the  several  popul.ttcd  centres, 
as  in  the  clans  that  were  scattered  about.  Still  the  employment  of  stone 
implements  did  rot  cease  when  metal  tubes  made  their  first  apiearance. 
for  stone  was  discarded  slowly  and  by  degrees.  The  finest  sp.  cimens  of 
stone  relics  have  come  from  Trov,  Tiryns,  and  Mvcena>.  towns  where 
metal  wsa  applied  to  all  the  usages  of  life. 

The  passage  from  a  semi  savage  state  to  a  settled  condition  among  the 
Greeks,  was  effected  in  their  countless  migrations  to  and  fro,  finally  estab- 
lishing themselves  in  positions  in  which  they  became  the  Greek  nation.  Their 
efforts  are  visible  in  scenes  far  apart  fiom  one  another,  and  yet  not  too  dis- 
taiit  to  preclude  their  entering  into  relations  of  intimacy  with  tach  other, 
and  to  have  bestowed  upon  their  handiwork  a  general  lainily  resemblance. 
The  Hellenic  tribes  were  separated  by  mountain  or  sea  from  one  another, 
and  did  not  owe  allegiance  t  >  a  supreme  head.  Each  obeyed  its  o  n  chitf 
and  lived  its  own  individual  and  independent  life,  but  the  State  that  had 
Mycens  for  its  capital,  appears  to  have  been  the  most  intlu<  ntial  among  all. 
It  constituted  continental  Greece,  during  the  four  or  five  centuries  that  pre- 
ceded the  Doric  invasion. 

The  discoveries  made  during  the  last  thirty  years  have  disclosed  to  us 
at   Greece   totally   forgotten,  and   older  than    Homeric   Greece,  but  none 


THE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  MOUNDS.  7 

created  so  deep  an  impresbion  as  those  in  the  Mycenjen  metropohs.  These 
lar  better  tlian  any  other,  show  us  the  means  of  defining  the  civilization 
wliich  was  the  earliest. 

The  thought  expressed  above  in  reference  to  the  isolated 
tribes  having  developed  in  the  course  of  time  into  a  nation,  is 
important,  for  it  shows  that  it  always  takes  time  for  any  people 
to  grow  into  the  condition  of  a  nation;  and,  unless  the  tribes 
are  surrounded  by  physical  barriers,  and  protected  from  incur- 
sions, they  may  never  reach  this  position.  This  point  is  im- 
portant in  connection  with  the  Mound-Builder's  history. 

Schliemann  thought  he  recognized  seven  periods  at  Troy, 
but  these  were  reduced  to  four  superimposed  cities.  Resting 
on  the  rock  itself,  was  the  first  settlement.  In  the  second 
period  the  gate  was  furnished  with  a  lintel  and  wooden  jambs, 
and  opened  into  a  narrow  sloping  corridor,  Percy  Gardener 
says : 

It  is  supposed  by  many  archaeologists  that  the  graves  which  were  dug 
in  the  rocks,  just  within  the  lion's  gate  at  Mycenae,  were  earlier  or  older 
than  the  beehive  tombs,  the  rich  spoil  of  which  dazzled  Europe  a  few  years 
ago.  It  is  not  unusual  to  recognize  in  the  graves  of  prehistoric  Greece, 
two  periods,  the  older  marked  by  rock  cut  tombs,  and  the  later  by  beehive 
tombs. 

This  would  indicate  that  tomb  building  began  in  the 
Stone  Age,  though  this  has  been  obscured  by  the  accumula- 
tions of  more  recent  times.  The  same  tact  is  true  of  the  Holy 
Land.  There  was  a  mound  situated  in  the  south  of  Palestine, 
which  was  supposed  to  mark  the  site  of  the  ancient  Lachish, 
but  it  was  a  silent  heap  of  earth.  No  one  had  undertaken  to 
draw  out  its  secrets  until  Mr,  F.  J.  Bliss,  the  son  of  a  mission- 
ary, was  induced  by  Prof  Petne  to  enter  into  the  work  of  ex- 
ploration, He  found  that  it  contained  the  records  of  many 
ages,  and  it  is  now  called  the  "  Mound  of  Many  Cities."  Its 
history  does  not  go  back  to  the  Stone  Age,  but  leads  us  to  an 
acquaintance  with  a  condition  of  the  country  while  the  Egypt- 
ians were  in  power,  and  when  a  correspondence  was  carried  on 
between  Ramses,  the  great  king  of  Egypt,  and  an  officer  who 
was  stationed  at  this  very  city;  and  a  series  of  letters  were  dis- 
covered, both  in  Egypt  and  in  Syria,  which  carries  back  the 
history  of  writing  to  a  much  earlier  period  than  had  before 
been  known. 

The  exploration  by  Mr.  Arthur  J,  Evans  has  also  shown 
that  prehistoric  civilization  appeared  not  only  in  Greece  and 
Asia  Minor  and  P.gypt,  but  extended  from  Cyprus  and  Pales- 
tine .to  Sicily  and  Southern  Italy  and  the  coasts  of  Spain.  The 
colonial  and  industrial  enterprises  of  the  Phoenicians  have  left 
their  mark  throughout  the  Mediterranean  Basin.  In  all  these 
excavations  and  researches,  the  land  to  which  ancient  tradition 
pointed  as  the  cradle  of  Greek  civilization,  had  been  left  out 
of  account.  Crete  was  the  central  island,  a  half-way  house 
between  three  continents.     Prof.  Flinders  J.  Petrie  says: 


8  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

Here  in  his  royal  citv,  Knossos,  Minos  ruled  and  founded  the  first  sea 
empire  of  Greece,  extending  his  dominion  far  over  the  ^gean  isles  and 
coastlands.  It  was  as  the  first  law-giver  ot  Greece  that  he  achieved  his 
greatest  renown.  He  was  the  Cretan  Moses,  who  every  nine  years  repaired 
to  the  cave  of  Zeus  and  received  from  the  god  of  the  mountain  the  laws 
for  his  people,  Like  Abraham,  he  is  described  as  the  friend  of  the  gods. 
His  symbol  was  the  double  axe;  his  animal  figure  totem  was  the  bull.  The 
great  cave  of  Mount  Ida,  whose  inmost  shrine  was  adorned  with  natural 
pillars  of  gleaming  stalactite,  leads  deep  down  to  the  waters  of  an  unnavi- 
gated  pool.  On  the  conical  height  immediately  above  the  site  and  sur- 
rounded by  a  Cyclopean  enclosure,  his  tomb  was  pointed  out. 

The  palace  had  a  long  antecedent  history,  and  there  are  frequent  traces 
of  its  remodelling.  Its  earliest  elements  may  go  back  a  thousand  years 
before  its  final  overthrow,  approximately  to  2,000  B.  C,  but  below  the 
foundations  of  the  later  building  and  covering  the  whole  hill,  are  the 
remains  of  a  primitive  settlement  of  still  greater  antiquity,  belonging  to 
the  Stone  Age.  In  parts  this  Neolithic  deposit  was  over  24  feet  thick,  and 
everywhere  full  of  stone  axes,  knives  of  volcanic  glass,  dark-polished  and 
incised  pottery,  and  primitive  images,  such  as  those  found  by  Schliemann 
in  the  lowest  strata  of  Troy. 

The  wonderful  construction  of  the  tombs  which  have  been 
built  in  Greece,  shows  how  sacred  was  the  memory  of  the 
dead,  and  how  valuable  the  knowledge  of  the  Stone  Age  is, 
and  how  numerous  were  the  survivals  of  that  age  in  the  speci- 
mens of  art  and  architecture  of  the  East,  for  the  very  tombs 
in  which  the  royal  treasures  were  buried,  bore  the  shape  of  the 
conical  huts  which  had  prevailed  in  that  age.  The  same  is 
true  in  Egypt,  Babylonia  and  other  cities  of  the  East.  It  is 
well  known  that  the  mastabah  m  which  the  mummies  of  royal 
persons  were  preserved,  represented  the  huts  which  had  pre- 
vailed in  the  Stone  Age,  and  as  a  proof  of  it,  the  piece  of  pot- 
tery which  represents  a  primeval  house  may  be  cited.  The 
same  is  true  of  Rome,  for  here  the  beginning  was  a  hut,  for  a 
piece  of  pottery  representing  the  hut  m  which  the  shepherd 
gave  shelter  to  the  two  brothers,  Romulus  and  Remus,  has  been 
found.  It  is  a  hut-urn  which  resembles  that  belonging  to  the 
Lake-Dwellers  of  Switzerland  during  the  Stone  Age. 

The  evidences  of  the  Stone  Age  in  Babylonia  are  lacking, 
but  the  explorers  are  approaching  that  age.  The  mounds  in 
the  plaza  of  Babylonia  remind  us  of  the  Stone  Age. 

It  was  in  a  mound  at  Nippur  that  a  party  of  American  ex- 
plorers began  their  work,  and  which  has  not  ceased  to  throw 
light  upon  the  records  of  the  past.  Through  their  presever- 
ence  the  date  of  history  has  been  carried  back  at  least  5,000 
years,  and  it  has  been  discovered  that  writing  was  known 
2,500  years  before  the  days  of  Abraham. 

Great  libraries  have  been  disclosed  filled  with  tablets  written 
in  the  cuneiform  language,  from  which  we  have  learned  about 
kings  and  empires  which  had  remained  unknown  for  thousands 
of  years.  The  Bible  student  who  has  not  become  familiar  with 
the  result  of  these  explorations,  which  have  continued  up  to 
the  present  time,  is  certainly  deficient  in  many  things,  for  these 
have  given  new  settings  for  all  the  characters  whose  portraits 
are  portrayed,  and  they  assume  far  more  importance  than  they 


THE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  MOUNDS  9 

ever  did  before.  It  was  not  in  the  infancy  of  the  world  that 
the  Patriarchs  lived,  nor  was  it  among  a  rude  and  barbarous 
people  that  the  migrations  took  place,  for  there  have  been 
found  beneath  the  great  heaps  of  earth  that  stand  by  the 
Euphrates  and  Tigris,  the  remains  of  palaces  which  astonish 
us  in  their  magnificence  and  size. 

Still,  the  fact  that  the  stone  knife  was  used  in  the  rite  of 
circumcision,  and  even  human  sacrifices  had  survived  in 
Abraham's  day,  proves  that  the  influence  of  the  Stone  Age 
was  felt  even  by  the  Patriarchs  as  well  as  by  the  kings  of  Moab 

The  writing  dates  back  to  5000  B.  C.  B}'  means  of  inscrip- 
tions we  have  been  able  to  trace  history  back  to  this  time,  but 
the  first  construction  of  which  we  have  evidence,  is  that  of 
Ur  Gur,  about  2SC0  B.  C.  It  was  one  of  the  most  renowned 
and  revered  seats  throughout  the  whole  Babylonian  and 
Assyrian  period.     Dr.  Peters  says: 

There  were  mounds  which  covered  the  site  of  an  ancient  city  called 
Sirpurla,  a  tributary  of  Ur.  An  immense  depo^it  of  inscribed  clay  tablets 
has  been  found  ht-re.  Several  low  mounds  at  Tello  have  also  yie'ded  a 
large  number  of  relics  which  are  important.  These  differ  from  those  of 
the  Stone  Age,  in  that  they  show  that  writmg  was  common,  and  architecture 
was  in  a  fair  state  of  advancement.  The  court  of  columns  discovered  at 
Nippur,  also  shows  that  the  archittctui e  had  passed  beyond  the  Stone  Age. 
Doorsockcts  were  also  discovered  here,  and  the  oldest  t»=niple  in  the  world, 
the  arch  made  out  of  crude  bricks,  designed  to  protect  or  cover  a  drain; 
also  pavements  and  buttresses,  causeways,  gateways,  towers,  a  ziggurat  of 
several  stages,  and  brick  wails  of  thrt  e  different  periods,  pottery  of  various 
kinds,  clav  tablets,  brick  stamps,  tablets  that  show  a  series  of  astrological 
records,  shrines,  a  mysterious  dwelling  of  the  unsetn  g  d,  emblem  of  the 
tabernacle  above  the  clouds,  a  Babylonian  palace  of  great  extent  and  some 
architectural  pretentions. 

Ur  was  not  only  the  seat  of  the  first  temple,  but  was  a  great  city  of  the 
first  political  importance,  dominating  Southern  Babylonia  about  4000  B.  C. 
Eridu,  which  was  at  least  as  old  as  Ur,  is  represented  by  the  ruined  mounds 
of  Nowawis  on  the  edge  of  the  Arabian  Plateau.  South  of  Eridu  mav  be 
mentioned  but  one  city — Sippara,  the  ship  citv,  where  the  records  were 
buried  during  the  flood.  Both  Urand  Eridu  seem  to  have  been  at  one  time 
located  near  the  sea,  but  they  are  at  the  present  time  120  miles  from  it. 
From  the  later  deposit  we  find  that  the  cities  would  have  stood  on  the 
shores  of  the  sea  about  7,000  B.  C,  but  back  of  this  we  must  conclude 
there  was  the  Stone  Age,  the  date  of  whose  begining  is  unknown. 

All  of  these  discoveries  convince  us  that  civ.lization  had  existed  here 
many  thousands  of  years  before  history  began  to  be  written  elsewhere, 
showing  that  in  this  particular  locality  there  was  a  progress  which  was  equal 
to  the  Bronze  Age  and,  perhaps,  the  Iron  Age,  as  it  first  began  to  be  knowu 
in  other  parts  of  the  world,  though  the  use  of  iron  had  not  been  discovered. 

The  mounds  of  Babylonia  were,  as  everybody  knows,  very 
different  from  those  of  America,  for  they  contained  the  "ruins 
of  lost  empires,"  and  were  formed  by  the  gradual  accumula- 
tions of  ruins,  and  were  not  made  intentionally  to  cover  up 
the  remains  of  those  who  had  died,  or  to  preserve  the  relics 
of  those  who  have  lived;  but  the  result  is  about  the  same. 

The  distribution  of  the  mounds  and  monuments  brings  us 
into  other  parts  of  the  world.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  in 
China  we  find  that  the  forms  of  the  tents  which  constituted  the 


10  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

homes  ot  the  Chinese  while  they  were  in  their  nomadic  state, 
are  still  preserved  in  the  shapes  of  their  temples  and  towers. 
This  has  been  spoken  of  by  many  travellers  and  scholars.  It 
is  even  maintained  that  the  method  of  building  the  houses  is, 
at  the  present  day,  the  same  as  that  which  prevailed  when  tents 
were  the  only  houses. 

There  are  mounds  in  China  which  reveal  to  as  the  earliest 
form  of  civilization  which  prevailed  there.  There  are,  to  be 
sure,  other  signs  which  show  that  the  Chinese  came  up  from 
the  Stone  Age,  and  that  they  resembled  the  wandering  tribes 
*vhich  formerly  existed  on  this  continent,  and  dwelt  in  tents 
or  huts  as  they  did. 

There  are  mounds  in  China  which  remind  us  of  those  on 
our  own  continent.  These  mounds  preserve  the  remains  of 
the  dead,  and  are  very  sacred  because  of  the  love  of  ancestors 
which  is  so  strong.  Confucius,  the  great  philosopher  and 
founder  of  the  Chinese  Empire,  was  buried  in  a  mound,  which 
still  stands. 

It  is  probable  that  mound-building  in  China  began  when 
the  people  lived  in  tents,  and  that  the  mound  in  which  Con- 
fucius was  buried  was  a  survival  of  the  custom  which  had  pre- 
vailed for  many  thousands  of  years,  at  least  there  are  many 
mounds  in  Mongolia  which  resemble  those  which  are  common 
in  America.  This  does  not  prove  that  the  Mound-l^uilders, 
so  called,  came  from  China,  though  they  may  have  sprung  from 
the  Mongolian  race;  yet  it  renders  it  probable  that  the  races 
of  America  were  descendents  from  the  Mongolians. 

There  are  also  mounds  in  Russia.  They  are  called  "Kurgans," 
but  they  are  filled  with  the  relics  of  the  Stone  Age.  They  show 
that  the  mound-building  custom  prevailed  not  only  among  the 
Slavonic  tribes,  but  also  among  the  Manchurians.  Arctic 
regions  seem  to  have  been  possessed  by  a  Mongolian  race. 
Dr.  Pickering  includes  the  American  Indians  among  the  Mon- 
golians. By  most  writers,  however,  the  American  Indians  are 
held  to  be  a  distinct  race,  which  from  recent  discoveries  is 
supposed  to  have  dwelt  on  either  side  of  Behring  Sea,  and  is 
called  the  "Behring  Race";  while  the  Mongolians  are  re- 
stricted to  the  Tartar  tribes,  and  the  Mantchoos,  Koreans, 
Chinese,  Thibetans,  Siamese,  Finns,  Laplanders,  and  Samoy- 
edes;  all  these  tribes  nations  are  supposed  once  to  have  been 
nomads,  and  many  of  them  were  mound-builders. 

The  Japanese  were  accustomed  to  erect  mounds  over  their 
dead,  and  these  still  remain  as  the  monuments  of  the  past,  and 
are  very  instructive  in  reference  to  the  history  of  that  people. 
It  appears  that  there  were  three  different  periods  in  Japan,  the 
nrst  of  which  was  marked  by  cave-dwelling  savages,  who  have 
been  called  "earth-spiders"  or  "  earth-hiders."  Ancient 
records  contain  many  allusion  to  them.  Mr.  Romyn  Hitch- 
cock has  compared  them  to  the  pit-dwellers,  who  were  older 
than  the  Ainus,  as  the  pottery  found  in  the  Pit-dwellings  was 


THE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  MOUNDS. 


11 


not  made  by  the  Japanese.  It  is  older  even  than  the  tradition 
of  the  Japanese,  and  may  be  older  than  the  Ainu  occupancy. 
These  "earth-dwellers"  or  "earth-spiders"  were  migratory, 
and  may  have  been  the  same  people  who  left  the  kitchen- 
middens  in  Japan,  or  they  may  have  belonged  to  the  so-called 
"ground  race,"  which  has  been  identified  as  distinct  from  the 
Mongolians,  but  similar  to  a  race  which  occupied  the  north- 
west coast  of  America,  who  here  built  their  houses  over  the 
excavations  in  the  earth,  and  covered  them  with  a  pile  of  sods, 
making  them  resemble  earth-mounds. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Govvland,  of  the  Imperial  Mint  at  Osaka,  has 
spent  several  years  in  the  study  of  the  Japanese  mounds.  He 
has  divided  the  burial  into  three  or  four  classes:  First,  in  uiider- 


BURIAL    MOUNDS    IN   CHINA. 

ground  burrows;  second,  simple  mounds  of  earth;  third, 
mounds  with  rock  chambers,  or  dolmens;  fourth,  double 
mounds,  or  imperial  tumuli.  The  common  mounds,  or  circu- 
lar heaps,  are  frequently  found  among  cultivated  fields  and 
covered  with  trees.  Those  which  contained  rock  chambers 
are  usually  built  of  rough  unhewn  stones,  some  of  them  of 
immense  size.  Long  entrance  passages  are  seen,  through  which 
one  may  walk  upright  for  thirty  or  forty  feet  or  more,  some- 
times lead  to  the  chambers,  in  which  there  may  or  may  not  be 
one,  rarely  two,  stone  coffins. 

When  the  covering  of  earth  is  removed  from  the  burial 
chambers,  it  is  found  that  they  open  through  the  passages, 
usually  to  the  south;  a  fact  which  conveys  the  idea  that  the 
tomb  was  built  in  the  form  of  a  house,  and  that  the  houses 
especially  those  of  the  early  inhabitants,  ope  leJ  to  the  south 


12  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

The  introduction  of  stone  coffins  occurred,  according^  to 
Von  Siebold,  as  early  as  85  B.  C,  and  continued  until  a  late 
date.  One  stone  coffin  seems  to  be  in  the  shape  of  a  house. 
The  upper  part  is  in  the  form  of  a  sloping  roof,  of  the  mansard 
style. 

The  mounds  'vhich  were  the  imperial  burial  places,  are  in- 
teresting because  of  their  history.  The  plate  represents  a 
double  mound  at  Osaka.  The  length  is  485  feet  along  the  top, 
the  width  is  78  feet.  In  the  year  646,  the  size  of  the  tombs 
which  persons  of  different  ranks  might  build,  was  specifically 
stated.  A  prince  might  be  buried  in  a  vault  9  feet  long,  5  feet 
wide,  covered  with  a  mound  75  feet  square  and  40  feet  high. 
A  common  functionary  could  have  a  mound  only  56  feet  square 
and  22  feet  high. 

The  custom  of  erecting  a  terraced  mound  began  about  the 
seventh  century.  These  mounds  are  built  up  in  three  terraces. 
On  the  top  of  each  was  a  fence  formed  of  terra  cotta  pipes 
about  two  feet  high,  connected  by  wooden  poles,  which  pass 
through  holes  about  half  way  from  the  base.  The  cylinders 
were  introduced  to  prevent  washing  down  of  the  terraces. 
They  were  in  use  till  the  year  940  A.  D.,  at  which  time  clay 
coffins  became  common,  which  were  afterwards  changed  to 
stone  coffins. 

The  mounds  have  yielded  a  great  variety  of  articles  which 
were  buried  with  the  dead,  such  as  iron  arrow-heads,  iron  ring? 
covered  with  bronze,  silver  swords,  chains,  glass  beads,  mirrors, 
and  other  relics.  It  was  an  ancient  custom  among  the  Japanese 
to  bury  the  retainers  and  members  of  the  family  of  a  prince 
around  his  grave,  a  custom  which  was  introduced  from  China, 
In  the  time  of  an  Emperor  of  Japan,  in  30  B.  C,  his  brother 
died,  and  they  buried  all  who  had  been  in  his  immediate  ser- 
vice, around  his  grave  alive;  but  for  many  days  they  wept  and 
cried  aloud.  The  Emperor  then  said:  "  It  is  not  good  to  bury 
living  men  standing  at  the  sepulchre  of  a  prince,"  and  he  pro- 
posed making  clay  figures  of  men  and  horses  as  substitvites. 

Mounds  are  very  common  in  Europe,  but  are  found  mainly 
in  the  northern  parts,  along  the  coast  of  Brittany,  in  various 
parts  of  Great  Britain,  and  in  Denmark  and  Sweden.  These 
exhibit  to  us  the  customs  which  prevailed  in  prehistoric  times. 
We  find  from  them  that  there  was  a  Stone  Age  in  Europe  as 
well  as  in  America,  but  it  gave  place  to  the  Bronze  Age,  which 
was  brought  in  by  immigrants  from  the  Old  World,  from  East- 
ern Asia,  and  from  the  provinces  about  the  Mediterranean, 
The  mounds  of  Europe  exhibit  not  only  the  change  which 
occurred  when  the  Bronze  Age  was  introduced,  but  they  show 
also  the  different  stages  of  progress  which  appeared  in  the 
Stone  Age. 

The  people  who  dwelt  in  Brittany,  in  Great  Britain,  in  Den- 
mark, in  Norway  and  Sweden  were  also  reached  by  immigrants 
from  the  south   of  Europe,  and   the  Stone  Age  in   ?ill   those 


14 


t^REHtSTORlC  MONUMENtS. 


countries  gave  place  to  the  Bronze  Age.  Still,  there  was  a 
survival  of  the  relics  and  structures  of  prehistoric  times  even 
into  historic  times.  The  standing  stones  of  Carnac  in  France, 
are  near  ancient  mounds,  underneath  which  are  dolmens. 
There  are  barrows  in  Denmark  which  contain  funeral  chambers. 
These  were  designed  mainly  to  preserve  the  bodies  of  the  dead. 
The  progressive  steps  appear  to  be  as  follows:  i.  To  cover 
the  body  with  earth  and  heap  stones  over  the  top,  to  prevent 
its  being  devoured  by  wild  beasts.  2.  To  enclose  the  body 
within  slabs  of  stone.  3.  To  set  up  over  the  body  a  pillar  of 
unhewn  stone,  or  a  table  of  rock  on  two  or  more  uprights. 
4.  To  build  a  stone  chamber  in  the  shape  of  a  house  and  cover 
the  body  with  this.  5.  To  make  the  mound  in  the  shape  of  a 
boat,  to  represent  the  sea-faring  habits  of  the  people.     6.  To 


m 


BURIAL    MOUND   OF    A    NORSE   SEA     KING. 

bury  the  boat  with  its  equipments,  with  the  body  of  the  com- 
mander or  seafarer  in  the  boat.  7.  To  make  the  house  itself 
into  a  tomb,  and  cover  the  tomb  with  a  great  mound;  the 
possessions  or  furnishings  of  the  house  being  buried  with  the 
owner. 

By  this  means  we  learn  the  different  habits  and  employ- 
ments of  the  people,  as  well  as  the  different  stages  through 
which  they  passed. 

It  is  worthy  of  notice  that  in  Scandanavia  mounds  have 
been  discovered  that  belong  to  the  Iron  Age,  some  of  which 
were  the  burial  places  of  the  Norse  Sea  Kings. 

One  such  mound  was  found  in  the  parish  of  Tune  over  a 
century  ago.  It  was  (1865)  about  13  feet  high  with  a  circum- 
ference of  from  450  to  550  feet.     In  the  mound  was  a  vessel 


tHE  DISTRIBUTION  OF  MOUNDS. 


16 


which  stood  on  a  level  with  the  surrounding  surface.  Its  posi- 
tion relative  to  the  sea  suggested  that  it  was  ready  to  be 
launched  upon  the  element  which  had  been  its  home,  and  was 
still  under  the  command  of  its  master.  The  articles  found 
near  the  vessel  showed  that  it  was  a  ship  tomb  which  belong- 
ed to  the  early  Iron  Age.  The  ship  was  carefully  drawn  out 
of  the  river  to  a  place  which  could  be  seen  at  a  great  distance, 
ami  commanded  a  iine  view  of  the  country,  as  well  as  the  sea. 
After  the  space  under  the  ship  had  been  filled  with  earth,  the 
body  of  the  deceased  was  placed  in  the  stern  where,  as  captain 
lie  had  sat  when  alive.  The  beads  and  pieces  of  cloth  indicate 
that  the  body  was  buried  with  the  clothes  on.  By  its  side  a 
horse  and  saddle  and  harness  and  snow  skates  were  laid.  Thus 
he  had  ship,  horse  saddle,  and  snow  skates  with  him  in  the 
sepulchral  tomb,  so  that  he  might  chose  whether  he  would  ride 
or  drive  to  Valhalla. 

Mounds  have  been  discovered  on   the  Northwest  Coast,  in 


BURIAL    MOUND   OF    AN    ANCIENT   BRITON. 

California,  and  \arious  localities  on  the  western  part  of  the 
continent,  which  greatly  resemble  those  found  in  China,  giving 
the  idea  that  the  custom  may  have  been  introduced  from  that 
direction.  No  other  line  has  been  traced  along  the  Atlantic 
Coast  further  north  than  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  though  the 
mounds  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  greatly  resemble  those  found 
in  Great  Britain,  as  can  be  seen  from  examining  the  cut  which 
represents  a  burial  mound  in  the  Parish  of  Herefordshire, 
England. 

Now,  this  review  of  the  mounds  and  their  distsibution 
throughout  the  Old  World  is  not  intended  to  furnish  a  clue  to 
the  origin  or  age  of  the  Mound-Builders  of  the  New  World; 
still,  there  are  some  useful  hints  which  are  worth  considering 
before  the  subject  is  closed: 


^g  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

T      Tt  has  been  shown  that  the  mounds  of  many  cities  are 

hint  of  much  greater  anuqmty  ^^^^^^  ^^  ^j_^ 

gr  [ls^^:^l>oT,:iartr  ra-efwiict  w^::  Vur.e^a  .neath 
the  silent  heaps  ^^    Europe  and  Asia. were 

P''^.  "'Thrtacrthat  the  earth  mounds  both  in  Europe  and 

been  solved^  and  until  it  has  been,  we  cannot  expect  to  dec  de 
about   the  r;ce   connection  and   history,  or  wandermgs  of  the 

one  phase  of  the  Stone  Age  begms  to  be  learned. 


r^ 


Fic;.L 


.V 


Mound 

—  eCt  — 

PAPYS  BAYOU 

Xofe.  TAe  Shaded  portions  inrlicafe 
explorations. 


^llfiiliitiiiiffe 


^^^  C^  '^f' 


''7, 'Mm 


J^icf.3. 


immMllm^^ 


^^ 


Wimm  <  if 


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••-JiauiSf), 


>  V  // 


FIG.  1. 


PLAN  OF 

"Mbuad.  ab 

DUNE  DIN" 

Binsboro  Coi 


FIG.    2. 


THE  HABITAT  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  15 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 

We  now  come  to  the  INIound-builders.  It  is  well  known 
that  a  people  called  Mound-builders  once  inhabited  the  interior 
of  North  America.  Who  this  people  were,  whence  they  came, 
whither  they  went,  are  among  the  unsolved  problems.  An  im- 
penetrable mystery  hangs  over  their  history.  All  that  we  know 
of  them  is  learned  from  their  structures,  works  and  relics.  To 
these  mute  witnesses  we  must  resort  if  we  are  to  learn  anything 
of  the  character  of  this  people.  The  first  inquiry  is,  Who  were 
the  Mound-builders?  This  question  will  probably  be  answered 
in  different  ways,  but  before  answering  it  we  shall  lefer  to  the 
points  involved  and  leave  it  for  our  readers  to  draw  their  own 
conclusions. 

We  take  up  the  division  of  the  Mound-builders  as  the  especial 
subject  of  this  chapter.  Let  us  first  consider  the  name,  however. 
The  name  "mound-builder"  is  a  general  one,  indicating  that  there 
was  once  a  people  who  were  accustomed  to  build  mounds.  In 
this  general  sense  there  is  much  significance  to  the  name,  in 
that  it  suggests  one  characteristic  or  custom  of  the  people. 
There  is,  however,  a  sense  in  which  the  word  is  used,  which 
makes  it  very  expressive,  for  it  furnishes  to  us  not  only  a  picture 
of  the  mounds  and  earth-works,  but  also  indicates  much  in  ref- 
erence to  the  people.  We  may  say  in  this  connection  that  there 
are  several  such  words  in  the  archaeological  vocabulary  which 
have  proved  equally  significant.  To  illustrate:  We  use  the 
words  "  cave-dweller."  "cliff-dweller,"  "lake-dweller,"  signifying 
by  these  terms  not  merely  the  fact  that  those  people  once  lived 
in  caves  or  cliffs  or  above  lakes,  but  implying  also  that  they  had 
a  mode  of  life,  style  of  abode,  stages  of  progress,  which  were 
peculiar  and  distinct.  We  infer  from  this,  that  the  prehistoric 
age  was  divided  into  different  epochs,  and  that  each  epoch  was 
distinguished  by  a  different  class  of  structures.  This  interpre- 
tation may  need  to  be  modified,  for  there  are  certain  indications 
that  several  representatives  of  the  stone  age  may  have  been  con- 


16  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 

temporaneous.  Still,  the  modes  of  life,  occupations  and  hab- 
itations were  the  result  of  location  and  of  physical  surroundings 
rather  than  of  "age"  or  stages  of  progress.  While  the  stone  age 
may  be  recognized  among  the  Mound-builders,  yet  a  subdivision 
of  that  age  into  epochs  may  be  a  safeguard  against  premature 
conclusions  and  unsafe  theories,  keeping  us  from  extreme  opin- 
ions. Our  readers  are  aware  that  the  Mound-builders  were  once 
supposed  to  have  been  a  remarkable  people,  and  allied  with  the 
historic  and  civilized  races,  but  that  latterly  the  opinion  has  gone 
to  the  other  extreme,  the  low  grade  and  rude  civilization  of  the 
wild  hunter  Indians  being  frequently  ascribed  to  the  entire  peo- 
ple, no  distinction  or  limitation  being  drawn  between  them.  We 
maintain,  however,  that  the  Mound-builders'  problem  has  not 
been  fully  solved,  and  that,  therefore,  it  is  premature  to  take  any 
decided  position  as  to  the  actual  character  and  condition  of  this 
mysterious  people.  All  that  we  can  do  is  to  set  forth  the  points 
which  we  suppose  have  been  established  and  leave  other  conclu- 
sions for  the  future. 

I.  The  place  where  the  works  of  the  Mound-builders  are  most 
numerous   is  the   Mississippi   Valley.     In   a  general  way  their 
habitat  may  be  bounded  by  the  great  geographical  features  of 
this  valley;  the  chain  of  great  lakes  tp  the  north,  the  Alleghany 
mountains  on  the  east,  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  the  south,  and 
the  Great  Desert  on  the  west.     Within  these  bounds,  mainly,  do 
we  find  the  structures  which  have  given  name  to  this  strange 
people;  and  we  may  describe  them  as  the  ancient  inhabitants  of 
the  Mississippi  Valley  who  built  mounds.     There  are  barrows 
or  mounds  in  Europe  and  in  Asia.     There  are  mounds  or  earth- 
works in  Honduras,  Yucatan  and  Central  America,  as  well  as  in 
Oregon  and  on  the  northwest  coast,  but  the  structures  in  this 
region  are  distinctive,  and  peculiar  to  the  inhabitants  who  dwelt 
he're.     Nowhere  else  on  the  continent  are  they  found  in  such 
great  numbers.      Nowhere  else  are  they  found  so  exclusively 
free  from  the  presence  of  other  structures.     Nowhere  else  is  such 
a  variety  of  earthworks.     To  the  eastward,  along  the  coast  of  the 
Atlantic,  there  are  earth-works,  such  as  stockades,  fortifications 
and  village  enclosures.     To  the  westward,  beyond  the  Rocky 
mountains,  there  are  pueblos,  rock  fortresses  and  stone  structures. 
To  the  northward,  beyond  the  lakes,  there  are  occasionally  found 
walls  and  earth-works;  but  in  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  those 
structures  are  discovered  which  may  be  regarded  as  distinctive. 
The  peculiarities  which  distinguish  these  from  others,  aside  from 
their  being  exclusively  earthworks,  are,  first,  their  solidity;  sec- 
ond, their  massiveness,  and,  third,  their  peculiar  forms.     By  these 
means  the  works  of  the  Mound-builders  are  identified,  and  in 
their  own  territory,  wherever  a  structure  may  have  been  erected 
by  a  later  race,  it  may  be  known  by  the  absence  of  these  quali- 
ties.    There  are  occasionally  earth-works  in  the  valley  of  the 


THE  HABITAT  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


MAP  OF  BUKIAL  MOUNDS  NEAR  MUSCATINE. 


18 


MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 


.MM.!? 

OE    A     acTION    OF    TWELVE    MILES     Of    THE 
SCIPTO    VALLEf 
mrft  ITS 
ANCIENT      MONUMEMIS 
-I— 
ra/lSlruc^e<^l'J  E.G.  Sgiiler.lSAl. 


MAP  OF  THE  WORKS  OF  THE  SCIOTO  VALLEY. 


THE  HABITAT  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  19 

Mississippi,  especially  through  the  northern  part,  bordering  on 
the  lakes,  which  were  evidently  built  by  the  later  Indians.  Their 
resemblance,  however,  to  the  fortifications  east  of  the  Allegha- 
nies,  and  the  evident  design  for  which  they  were  erected,  as 
defensive  or  village  enclosures,  the  unfailing  spring  attending 
them,  the  absence  of  any  religious  significance,  and  their  want  of 
solidity  and  massiveness,  help  to  distinguish  them  from  the 
works  of  the  Mound-builders. 

We  take  the  picture  presented  by  this  valley  and  find  it  strik- 
ingly adapted  to  the  use  of  a  class  of  people  who  were  partially 
civilized.  On  either  side  are  the  high  mountains,  constituting 
barriers  to  their  great  domain.  At  the  foot  of  the  western 
mountains  are  the  plateaus  or  table-lands,  which  have  formed 
from  time  immemorial  the  feeding  places  for  the  great  herds  of 
buffaloes.  In  the  northern  portion  of  the  valley,  bordering  upon 
the  chain  of  the  great  lakes,  are  great  forests  abounding  with 
wild  animals  of  all  kinds,  which  must  have  been  the  hunting- 
grounds  of  this  obscure  people.  The  center  was  traversed  by 
the  Appalachian  range,  which  was  the  fit  abode  for  a  military 
class  of  people.  Along  the  lines  of  the  great  streams  were  the 
many  terraces,  forming  sites  upon  which  the  people  could  build 
their  villages,  and  yet  have  access  to  the  waters  which  flowed 
at  their  base.  Many  of  these  terraces  were  formed  by  the  gravel 
beds  left  by  the  great  glacial  sea  which  once  rested  upon  the 
northern  portion  of  the  valley  Below  the  terraces, and  all  along 
the  borders  of  the  rivers,  were  the  rich  alluvial  bottom  lands 
which  so  favored  the  cultivation  of  maize  and  yielded  rich  return 
to  a  slight  amount  of  labor.  Broad  prairies  interspersed  with 
forests  and  groves,  and  traversed  by  numberless  streams  gave 
variety  to  the  scene.  It  was  a  region  built  on  a  grand  scale  and 
was  capable  of  supporting  a  numerous  and  industrious  popula- 
tion. We  may  suppose  that  the  Mound-builders,  when  they 
entered  it,  were  influenced  by  their  surroundings,  and  that  they 
soon  learned  its  resources.  We  can  not  look  upon  them  as 
merely  hunters  or  wild  savages,  but  a  people  who  were  capable 
of  filling  this  broad  domain  with  a  life  peculiar  to  themselves,  and 
yet  were  correlated  to  the  scene  in  which  they  were  placed. 

Here,  with  a  diversity  of  climate  an  abundance  of  products, 
the  people  led  a  varied  life.  They  were  to  gain  their  subsistence 
from  the  great  forests  and  from  the  wide  prairies,  and  were  to 
fill  them  with  their  activities.  A  river  system  which,  for  thou- 
sands of  miles,  drained  the  interior,  furnished  the  channels  for 
communication,  and  was  evidently  well  understood  by  this  peo- 
ple. A  vast  sedimentary  basin,  through  which  the  rivers  have 
Worn  deep  channels,  leaving  table-lands,  cut  by  a  thousand 
ravines,  and  presenting  bluffs,  head-lands,  high  hills,  narrow 
isthmuses,  detached  island-like  clifis,  in  some  cases  precipitous 
and  difficult  of  access,  furnished  many  places  on  which  this  peo- 


20  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 

pie  could  build  their  defenses,  covering  them  with  complicated 
works  resembling  the  citadels  of  the  Old  World,  beneath  which 
they  could  place  their  villages  and  dwell  in  safety. 

The  number  of  these  ancient  villages  is  well  calculated  to  ex- 
cite surprise.  Ten  thousand  burial  mounds  or  tombs  were  found 
in  the  single  State  of  Ohio,  and  also  a  thousand  or  fifteen  hun- 
dred enclosures  in  the  same  state.  Nor  is  their  magnitude  less 
a  matter  of  surprise  than  their  number.  Twenty  miles  ot  em- 
bankment constitute  one  series  of  works.  Walls  sometimes 
thirty  feet  in  height,  and  enclosing  from  fifty  to  four  hundred 
acres,  surround  their  fortifications.  Pyramids  one  hundred  feet 
in  height,  covering  sixteen  acres  of  ground,  divided  into  wide 
terraces,  three  hundred  feet  long  and  fifty  feet  wide,  vying  with 
the  pyramids  of  Egypt,  formed  the  foundations  for  their  great 
houses.  Mounds  formed  their  lookout  stations,  sixty  and  ninety 
feet  in  height.  The  variety  of  their  works  was  great,  and  their 
distribution  widespread.  In  one  part  of  this  wide  domain  there 
were  game-drives,  in  which  the  animals  hunted  were  erected  in 
effigy.  In  another  part  were  garden  beds,  covering  hundreds  of 
acres,  and  presenting  many  curious  patterns ;  in  another,  large 
groups  and  lines  of  burial  mounds  ;  in  another,  many  circles  and 
fort-rings;  in  another,  lodge  circles  and  hut-rings;  in  another, 
village  circles  and  dance-rings,  interspersed  with  temple  plat- 
forms;  in  another,  extensive  enclosures,  with  domiciliary  plat- 
forms; in  another,  groups  of  py'ramids,  interspersed  with  fish 
ponds,  surrounded  by  earth-walls.  Everywhere  was  manifest  a 
wonderful  adaptation  of  the  works  to  the  soil  and  scenery  and 
physical  surroundings.  Different  grades  of  advancement  were 
exhibited,  but  at  the  same  time  great  activity  and  great  skill  in 
gaining  subsistence.  Every  spot  was  well  chosen  and  the  works 
placed  upon  it  were  best  adapted  to  the  locality. 

II.  A  distinction  between  the  races  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 
according  to  geographical  lines  is  to  be  noticed,  those  north  of 
the  great  lakes  being  generally  identified  with  later  tribes  of 
wild  hunter  Indians;  those  which  adjoin  the  lakes,  and  which 
extend  from  New  York  State  through  Northern  Ohio  to  Michi- 
gan, also  being  ascribed  to  a  military  people  resembling  the 
Iroquois;  those  on  the  Ohio  to  a  class  of  villagers  who  were 
more  advanced  than  any  ordinary  Indians,  and  those  of  the 
Southern  States  to  a  class  of  pyramid-builders,  who  were  the 
most  advanced  of  all.  The  distinction  is,  however,  not  only 
geographical,  but  chronological,  for  there  are  relics  which  are 
as  strictly  military  among  the  villages  or  sacred  enclosures  as 
among  those  in  the  homes  of  the  warlike  Indians,  and  there  are 
tokens  in  the  midst  of  the  pyramids  which  indicate  that  modern 
hunters  have  roamed  among  the  agricultural  works,  and  that 
sun-worshipers  and  animal-worshipers  have  traversed  the  same 
regions. 


THE  HABITAT  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  21 

A  simple  earth-wall,  running  around  the  brow  of  some  gentle 
declivity,  or  the  top  of  some  precipice,  or  on  the  edge  of  some 
isolated  island,  presents  a  very  different  aspect  from  those  struc- 
tures which  are  found  oftentimes  in  the  midst  of  large  and  fertile 
valleys,  or  upon  many  of  the  plats  of  ground  where  now  stand 
some  of  the  largest  cities  of  modern  days,  and  which,  for  mas- 
siveness  and  extent,  surprise  even  those  who  behold  them  in  the 
midst  ot  the  works  of  civilized  man.  These  earth-walls,  or  so- 
called  stockades,  we  maintain,  were  the  works  of  the  later 
Indians,  and  can  be  easily  distinguished  from  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders  by  certain  unmistakable  evidences.  The  same  may  be 
said  also  of  the  relics  and  other  tokens.  They  may  be  found  in 
the  Mound-builders'  territory,  but  were,  many  of  them,  of  a  later 
date  and  of  a  ruder  character,  and  should  be  ascribed  to  a  differ- 
ent people  and  not  be  confined  to  one  date  or  race,  much  less 
to  the  so-called  modern  Indians  known  to  history. 

In  reference  to  this  point  we  may  say  that  the  evidences  are 
numerous  that  the  people  who  built  the  mounds  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley  belonged  to  different  races  and  occupied  the  country 
at  different  periods  and  may  have  come  from  different  sources. 

(i.)  The  traditions  of  the  Indians  prove  that  the  lands  have 
been  inhabited  by  different  races  and  at  different  periods.  These 
traditions  prevail  not  only  among  the  northern  Indians,  such  as 
the  Delawares,  the  Iroquois  and  the  Algonkins,  but  also  among 
the  southern  tribes,  such  as  the  Cherokees,  the  Creeks,  Choc- 
taws  and  Muskogees,  all  of  them  indicating  that  there  were  later 
migrations  and  that  other  races  were  in  the  valley  before  these 
tribes  reached  it.  The  traditions  of  some  of  the  Indians,  espe- 
cially those  of  the  south,  point  back  to  a  period  when  their 
ancestors  began  the  process  of  mound-building;  with  others  the 
traditions  point  to  a  time  when  they  began  to  occupy  the  mounds 
which  had  been  built  by  another  and  a  preceding  people.  No- 
where, however,  is  it  claimed  that  the  Indians  were  the  first  peo- 
ple who  occupied  the  country  or  that  their  ancestors  were  the 
first  race  who  built  mounds.  The  evidence  is  clear  that  among 
the  various  tribes  some  of  them,  in  the  course  of  their  migrations, 
had  been  led  to  abandon  their  particular  mode  of  building  mounds 
and  had  adopted  the  mode  of  the  people  whose  territory  they 
invaded,  and  thus  the  same  class  of  structures  continued  under 
the  successive  races;  but  the  beginning  of  the  mound-building 
period  is  always  carried  back  indefinitely,  and  is  generally  as- 
cribed to  some  preceding  people. 

(2.)  The  relics  and  remains  prove  also  a  succession  of  races. 
This  is  an  important  point.  A  discussion  has  arisen  among 
archaeologists  as  to  who  the  Mound-builders  were,  and  the  idea 
has  been  conveyed  by  some  that  the  Mound-builders  were  to  be 
identified  with  this  or  that  tribe  which  occupied  the  region  at  the 
opening  of  history.     This,  however,  is  misleading.     It  limits  us 


22 


MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 


to  a  very  modern  period  and  serves  to  cut  off  investigation  into 
the  more  remote  ages  ol  the  mound-building  period. 

Our  position  is  that  many  of  the  mounds  contain  a  record  of 
successive  periods  of  occupation,  some  of  the  burial  mounds 
having  been  built  by  several  different  and  successive  tribes,  and 
the  layers  in  the  mounds  being  really  the  work  of  different  tribes. 
The  prehistoric  record  is  plain.  The  skulls  and  skeletons  found 
near  the  surface  we  may  regard  as  the  latest  tokens,  some  of 
them  being  quite  modern,  and  the  rude  relics  found  in  the  gravel 
beds  being  regarded  as  the  earliest  tokens;  but  the  mound-build- 
ing tokens  extended  through  a  long  period  of  time.  On  these 
points  we  give  the  testimony  of  the  various  gentlemen  who  have 
explored  these  mounds.  Prof  Putnam  says:  "  In  the  great  Ohio 
Valley  we  have  found  places  of  contact  and  mixture  of  two 


Fig.  IJ4. — AiiimaL  Effigies. 

races  and  have  made  out  much  of  interest,  telling  of  conflict  and 
defeat,  of  the  conquered  and  the  conquerors.  The  long,  narrow- 
headed  people  from  the  north,  who  can  be  traced  from  the  Pacific 
to  the  Atlantic,  extending  down  both  coasts,  and  extending  their 
branches  towards  the  interior,  meeting  the  short-headed  and 
southern  race,  here  and  there.  Our  explorations  have  brought 
to  lieht  considerable  evidence  to  show  that  after  the  rivers  cut 
their  way  through  the  glacial  gravels  and  formed  their  present 
channels,  leaving  great  alluvial  plains  upon  their  borders,  a  race 
of  men,  with  short,  broad  heads,  reached  the  valley  from  the 
southwest.  Here  they  cultivated  the  land,  raised  crops  of  corn 
and  veeretables,  and  became  skilled  artisans  in  stone  and  their 
native  metals,  in  shell  and  terra-cotta,  making  weapons  and  or- 
naments and  utensils  of  various  kinds.  Here  were  their  places 
of  worship.  Here  were  their  towns,  often  surrounded  by  earth 
embankments,  their  fixed  places  for  burning  their  dead,  their 
altars  of  clay,  where  cremation  offerings,  ornaments,  by  thou- 
sands were  thrown  upon  the  fire.     Upon  the  hills  near  by  were 


THE  HABITAT  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  23 

their  places  of  refuge  or  fortified  towns.  Preceding  these  were 
the  people  of  the  glacial  gravels.  The  implements  which  had 
been  lost  by  preglacial  men  have  been  found  in  the  Miami  Valley, 
as  in  the  Delaware  Valley.  This  would  seem  to  give  a  minimum 
antiquity  of  man's  existence  in  the  Ohio  Valley  from  eight  to 
ten  thousand  years.  From  the  time  when  man  was  the  con- 
temporary of  the  mastodon  and  mammoth  to  the  settlement  of 
the  region  by  our  own  race,  successive  peoples  have  inhabited 
this  valley."* 

III.  We  turn  to  the  division  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory. 
This  illustrates  several  things.  It  proves  that  the  Mound- 
builders  were,  as  we  have  said,  greatly  influenced  by  their  envi- 
ronments and  that  their  works  were  correlated  to  the  geographical 
district.  It  proves  also  that  there  was,  in  a  general  way,  a  cor- 
respondence between  the  Mound-builder  and  the  Indian,  as  differ- 
ent classes  of  earth-works  and  different  tribes  of  Indians  have 
been  found  in  locations  or  in   districts  whose  boundaries  were 


Fig.  15. — Burial  Mounds. 

remarkably  similar.  This,  to  some  minds,  would  prove  that  the 
Mound-builders  and  Indians  were  the  same  people;  but  if  we 
take  mto  account  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races,  and  that 
each  race  was  equally  influenced  by  its  environment,  we  may 
conclude  that  the  effort  to  identify  the  later  with  the  earlier  peo- 
ple will  require  something  more  than  mere  geographical  division. 
Let  us  now  examine  the  earth-works  of  the  different  districts. 
(i.)The  first  system  which  we  shall  mention  is  that  found  in  the 
State  of  Wisconsin,  a  State  abounding  with  emblematic  mounds. 
These  mounds  are  confined  almost  exclusively  to  the  small  ter- 
ritory west  of  Lake  Michigan,  east  of  the  Mississippi,  south  of 
the  Fox  River  and  north  of  the  mouth  of  the  Rock  River, 
though  a  few  have  been  found  in  Eastern  Iowa  and  Southern 
Minnesota,  on  the  land  immediately  adjoining  the  Mississippi 
River.  The  peculiarity  of  the  mounds  is  that  they  so  strangely 
resemble  the  forms  of  the  wild  animals  formerly  abounding  in 
the  territory.  Very  few,  if  any,  extralimital  animals  are  repre- 
sented in  them.  The  position  of  these  effigies  is  also  noticeable. 
They  are  generally  located  on  hill-tops  overlooking  the  beautiful 
streams  and  lakes  so  numerous  here.    The  attitudes  of  the  animals 

•Twenty-second  Report  Peabody  Museum,  page  53. 


24 


MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 


if-  :lf.e.*"5: 


are  represented  by  the  effigies  and  the  habits  are  portrayed  by 
the  shapes  and  associations  of  these  earth-works.  See  Fig.  14. 
We  enter  this  district  and  find  a  remarkable  picture  of  animal 
life  as  it  existed  in  the  mound-building  period.  Elk  and  moose 
and  the  large  grazing  animals  are  portrayed  as  feeding;  panthers 
and  wolves  are  represented  as  fighting;  wild  geese,  wild  duck, 
eagles,  swallows  and  hawks  and  pigeons  as  flying  ;  squirrels, 
foxes,  coons,  as  playing  and  running;  lizards,  tadpoles,  snakes 
and  eels  as  crawling;  fish  and  turtles  as  swimming,  and  yet  all 
seem  to  have  an  indescribable  charm  about  them,  as  if  they  had 
been  portrayed  by  the  hand  of  a  superstitious  people. 

The  effigies  may  have  been  used  as  totems  by  the  people,  and 
thus  show  to  us  the  animal  divinities  which  were  worshiped  and 
the  animal  names  given  to  the  clans;  but  the  clans  and  the  ani- 
"TTf  ._r.r^  •i..-;..:--^^-.-.^-?*-iv       mals   are  remarkably  correlated, 

the  names  of  the  very  animals 
which  prevailed  here  having 
been  borne  by  the  clans.  More 
than  this,  the  use  of  the  effigies 
as  protectors  to  villages,  as  aids 
to  the  hunters,  and  as  guardians 
to  graves,  furnish  an  additional 
picture  of  the  real  life  of  the  peo- 
ple. The  attitudes  of  the  ani- 
mals are  always  natural,  portray- 
ing habits  and  even  motions,  but 
a  condition  is  recognized  beyond 
mere  animal  condition. 

In  this  same  State  we  find  the 
h'lu.  m~Foriai  conneaut.  copper   mincs,  which  have  been 

worked,  and  the  tools  which  were  used,  by  the  ancient  miners. 
They  were  rude  contrivances,  and  yet  show  the  skill  of  the  natives 
in  overcoming  obstacles.  Without  knowledge  of  the  mechanical 
inventions  of  the  wheel  and  pulley,  without  the  art  of  smelting, 
or  even  of  molding  the  precious  metals,  the  Mound-builders  of 
this  region  succeeded  in  manufacturing  all  the  metal  tools  which 
were  necessary  for  their  purpose,  being  mostly  tools  used  by 
hunters,  such  as  knives,  spear-heads,  axes,  chisels,  awls,  needles 
and  a  few  ornamental  pieces.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  imi- 
tative art  was  expended  upon  the  effigies,  which  elsewhere  em- 
bodied itself  in  stone  relics  or  in  metal  ornaments. 

(2.)  The  second  district  is  the  one  characterized  by  bui-ial 
mounds  or  ordinary  tumuli.  See  Fig.  15.  This  is  an  interesting 
class  of  earth-works  and  may  be  designated  as  "prairie  mounds." 
They  are  situated,  to  be  sure,  on  the  banks  of  streams,  rivers, 
lakes,  marshes,  but  they  are  in  the  midst  ot  the  broad  prairie 
region  stretching  across  the  north  half  of  the  States  of  Indiana, 
Illinois,  all    of   Iowa,   Minnesota,  Dakota,  part  of  Kansas  and 


THE  HABITAT  OF  THE  MOUND  BUILDERS. 


25 


Missouri.  This  broad  expanse  of  territory  seemed  to  have  been 
occupied  by  tribes  of  Mound-builders  who  merely  erected  burial 
mounds,  but  who,  owing  to  their  unsettled,  migratory  habits,  did 
not  even  stop  to  build  walled  defenses  for  themselves ;  their 
works  consist  mainly  in  tumuli,  vast  numbers  of  which  are  found 
scattered  over  this  entire  region.  We  do  not  say  that  they  were 
entirely  destitute  of  defense,  for  there  are  occsaional  earth  walls 
which  show  that  there  were  permanent  villages,  but,  in  the  main, 
defense  must  have  been  secured  by  stockades  rather  than  by 
earth  walls.  Occasionally  there  are  ridges  or  converging  walls 
which  resemble  the  game-drives  of  Wisconsin,  and  these  furnish 
additional  proof  that  the  people  were  hunters.*  The  mounds 
occasionally  present  relics  reminding  us  of  the  hunting  habits  of 
the  people  who  erected  them. 
Pipes  in  the  shape  of  raccoons, 
prairie-dogs,  beavers,  turtles,  liz- 
ards, eagles,  hawks,  otters,  wild 
cats,  panthers,  prairie-chickens, 
ducks,  and  frogs,  show  that  they 
were  familiar  with  wild  ani- 
mals. The  relics  which  are  most 
numerous  are  spear-heads,  ar- 
row-heads, knives,  axes  and  such 
other  implements  as  would  be 
used  by  wild  hunters,  with  a  very 
considerable  number  of  copper 
implements — axes  or  celts,  awls, 
knives,  needles,  and  occasionally 

specimens  of  woven  fiber,  which  Fig.  17.— Fort  at  wcymouin,  o. 
might  have  formed  the  clothing  for  a  rude  people,  and  a  few 
specimens  of  the  higher  works  of  art,  but  there  is  an  entire 
absence  of  the  symbols  found  in  the  mounds  of  the  south. 

(3.)  The  third  district  is  the  one  belonging  to  the  military 
class  of  Mound-builders.  This  district  formerly  abounded  in 
forests,  and  was  especially  adapted  to  warlike  races.  It  embraces 
the  region  situated  in  the  hill  country  of  New  York.f  Pennsyl- 
vania and  West  Virginia,  and  extends  along  the  banks  of  Lake 
Erie  into  the  State  of  Michigan,     See  Figs.  16  and  17. 

The  mode  of  life  in  these  reg^ions  was  military.  It  was  a 
necessity  of  their  very  situation.  Here  was  the  effect  of  nature 
upon  the  state  of  society  which  was  inevitable.  These  works 
were  military  and  defensive,  as  from  the  nature  of  their  surround- 
ings they  must  be.     The  forests  gave  too  much  opportunity  for 


e.-'S'     ■'l^^^'r 


.-•.H-j-'af:''-  '^»- - 


*They  are  generally  built  at  leading  points  along  the  .«hore  of  the  lakes  or  on  the 
banks  of  the  principal  streams,  and  are  found  as  far  apart  as  Manitoba  Lake  and 
the  Illinois  River.  We  call  them  buffalo  game-drives,  and  conclude  that  the  Mound- 
builders  of  this  district  were  buffalo  hunters.  See  Archaeological  .Journal  for  1887, 
page  72;  Smithsonian  Report  for  1870;  also  our  book  on  Emblematic  Mounds. 

t^^ee  Aboriginal  Monuments  of  Western  New  York,  by  E.  G.  Squier;  also  Cheney 
and  Whittlesey's  pamphlets. 


26 


MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 


treachery  to  avoid  it.  Human  nature,  when  dwelHng  in  such 
circumstances,  would  develop  in  this  way.  It  made  no  difference 
what  tribe  dwelt  there,  there  was  a  necessity  for  military  habits. 
We  can  picture  to  ourselves  exactly  the  condition  of  society. 
Whether  the  same  or  different  tribes  of  people  inhabited  these 
regions,  their  mode  of  life  was  certainly  dictated  by  circumstances. 
There  were  no  means  by  which  the  people  could  overrule  the 
forces  of  nature  and  gain  control  of  her  elements  It  was  one 
of  the  peculiarities  of  prehistoric  society  that  it  was  conformed 
altogether  to  nature.  Civilization  alone  overrides  the  difficulties 
and  makes  the  forces  of  nature  obedient  to  her  wants.  We  call 
these  military  structures  comparatively  modern,  but  we  do  not 
know  how  long  they  continued  as  a  class.     If  there  were  those 

who  led  a  different  life 
:  they  were  probably 
located  in  the  valleys 
or  on  the  borders  of 
the  streams,just  where 
we  find  a  few  agri- 
cultural works.  But 
the  vast  majority  of 
works,  whether  very 
ancient  or  more  mod- 
ern, are  of  the  same 
class,  military  and  de- 
fensive. Over  300  mil- 
itary structures  are 
found  in  the  single  State  of  New  York;  and  scattered  over  the 
mountains  of  Virginia  and  Eastern  Tennessee  and  Kentucky,  and 
everywhere  where  the  hunting  life  and  the  warlike  and  predatory 
state  would  be  most  likely  to  prevail,  there  these  military  and 
defensive  structures  are  found. 

The  Iroquois,  the  Wyandots  and  the  Eries  were  warlike  peo- 
ple. The  Cherokees  were  also  warriors,  and  may  be  regarded  as 
the  mountain  tribes  of  the  east;  while  the  Delawares  and  some 
of  the  tribes  of  the  Algonkins  inhabiting  New  England  and  the 
northeastern  States  led  a  mingled  life,  partly  agricultural  and 
partly  hunting.  Thus  we  have  in  these  localities,  at  least,  a  cor- 
respondence between  the  state  of  the  population  and  the  physical 
surroundings. 

(4.)  The  fourth  district  is  the  one  most  worthy  of  notice.  It 
is  situated  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  is  characterized  by  what 
have  been  called  "  sacred  enclosures."  We  have  given  them  the 
name  of  "  village  enclosures."  The  characteristic  works  of  the 
district  are  composed  of  the  square  and  two  circles  adjoined. 
See  Fig.  18.  These  were  evidently  the  village  sites  of  the  peo- 
ple who  dwelt  here  and  who  practiced  agriculture.  The  locations 
of  the  works  show  this.     Most  of  them  are  situated  on  the  sec- 


Fig.  18.— Village  Enclosure  of  Ohio. 


THE  HABITAT  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  27 

ond  terrace,  overlooking  the  rich  bottom  lands,  but  often  sur- 
rounded by  wide,  level  areas,  on  which  forests  trees  grew  to  a 
great  height.  On  the  hills  adjoining  these  village  sites  the 
conical  mounds  are  numerous.  These  are  regarded  as  lookout 
stations.  There  are  also  in  the  same  region  many  ancient  forts. 
Some  of  them  are  so  situated  as  to  give  the  idea  that  they  were 
places  of  refuge  for  the  villages. 

There  are,  in  the  same  region,  certain  enclosures,  which  con- 
tain groups  of  burial  mounds,  and  in  these  mounds  altars  have 
been  discovered,  on  which  have  been  deposited  large  quantities 
of  costly  relics,  in  the  shape  of  pearl  relics,  carved  pipes,  mica 
plates,  copper  spools,  arrow-heads  and  many  personal  ornaments. 
These  are  the  "sacred  enclosures"  which  have  given  name  to  the 
district.  In  this  district  there  are  several  truncated  pyramids  or 
platforms,  with  graded  ways  to  the  summits.  These  platforms 
have  been  called  "  temple  mounds".  The  idea  of  some  is,  that 
the  enclosures  were  places  of  religious  assembly,  resembling  in 
a  rude  way  the  ancient  Egyptian  temples.  At  Marietta  the  en- 
closures are  double.  Within  one  are  three  platforms,  and  from 
it  to  the  water's  edge,  or  to  the  bottom  land,  is  an  inclined  or 
graded  roadway,  guarded  by  high  banks  or  earth-works  on  either 
side.  At  the  other  end  of  the  group  is  the  high  lookout  mound, 
surrounded  by  a  circle,  and  a  ditch  within  the  circle.  The  group 
may  have  been  the  site  of  an  ancient  village,  or  it  may  be  called 
a  sacred  enclosure.     See  Frontispiece. 

(5.)  The  fifth  district  is  situated  along  the  Atlantic  coast,  and 
extends  from  the  coast  to  the  Appalachian  range.     It  is  the  dis- 
trict through  which  various  Indian  tribes  have  migrated  and  left 
their  varied  tokens  beneath  the  soil.     Among  these  tribes  may 
be  mentioned  the  Powhattans,  the  Cherokees,  the  Catawbas,  the 
Tuscaroras,  and  a  stray  tribe  of  the   Dakotas.     It  is  marked  by 
no   particular  class  of  works  which  can  be  called   distinctive. 
There  are  in  it,  however,  various  circular  enclosures  containing 
conical  mounds,  resembling  those  in  the  fourth   district     These 
are  found  in  the  Kenawha  Valley.     Besides  these  are  the  remark- 
able circular  grave  pits,  containing  bee-hive  shaped   cists  made 
of  stone  found  in  North   Carolina,     There  are   conical  mounds 
in  the  district  which  are  supposed  to  have  been  the  foundations 
of  rotundas,  as  posts  for  the  support  of  rotundas  have  been  found 
on  the  summit.     The   southern   portion  of  the  district   is  filled 
with  shell  mounds  and  earth  pyramids.     Considerable  discussion 
has  been  had  as  to  whether  the  inhabitants  of  this  region  were 
the  Mound-builders  of  the  Ohio  district,  and  a  comparison  has 
been  drawn  between  the  altar  mounds  and  earth   circles  in  this 
district   and  those   in   Ohio,  both   having  been   ascribed  to  the 
Cherokees.      This  is  a  point,  however,  which   remains  to  be 
proved.     The  works  of  the  district  must  be  ascribed  to  the  dif- 
ferent races. 


28 


MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 


(6.)  We  now  come  to  the  sixth  district.  This  is  situated  south 
of  the  Ohio  River,  between  this  and  the  Cumberland  and  Ten- 
nessee. It  is  a  mountamous  and  woody  territory,  and  the  people 
who  formerly  dwelt  there  may  be  called  the  mountain  Alound- 
builders.  The  peculiarity  of  the  works  of  this  region  is  that  they 
are  mainly  fortified  villages.  They  are  to  be  distinguished,  how- 
ever, from  the  fortifications  of  the  third  district,  and  from  the 
villages  of  the  fourth  district,  by  the  fact  that  they  combine  the 
provisions  for  defense  and  for  permanent  residence  in  the  same 
enclosure.  The  village  enclosures  in  Ohio  are  double  or  triple, 
but  those  found  in  this  district  are  always  single.  Their  loca- 
tions show  that  they  were  chosen  for  defense,  but  their  contents 
show  that  they  were  used  for  places  of  permanent  abode.  They 
consist   largely  of  earth-walls   surrounding  enclosures,  within 


Mg.  19. —  Village  of  the  Stone  Grave  People. 

which  are  pyramidal,  domiciliary  andburial  mounds,  all  of  which 
furnish  proofs  of  long  residence  The  custom  of  building  stone 
graves  and  depositing  relics  with  the  dead  was  common  here. 
Stone  graves  prevailed  in  many  localities — in  Illinois,  Southern 
Indiana,  Ohio  and  Northern  Georgia — but  were  especially  char- 
acteristic of  this  region.     See  Fig.  19. 

(7.)  There  is  a  district  adjoining  the  one  just  described,  which 
contains  mounds  and  earth-works  somewhat  similar.  The  region 
is  generally  swampy,  as  the  rivers  here  often  overflow  their 
banks  and  cover  the  whole  country  with  floods.  The  Mound- 
builders  dwelt  here  in  great  numbers,  and  built  their  villages  on 
the  sand  ridges  interspersed  between  the  overflowed  lands,  and 
made  their  way  out  as  best  they  could.  Their  villages,  however, 
were  large  and  numerous  and  showed  permanent  residence.  The 
peculiarity  of  the  earth-works  was  that  the  walls  surrounded 
enclosures,  within  which  were  pyramids,  conical  mounds  and 
many  lodge  circles.  We  may  call  it  the  district  of  lodge  circles. 
In  some  of  the  conical  mounds  there  have  been  found  large 


THE  HABITAT  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


29 


quantities  of  pottery,  and  so  the  name  of  pottery-makers  might 
be  ascribed  to  the  people.  This  pottery  resembles  that  found  in 
the  stone  graves  and  near  the  Cahokia  mound,  but  is  regarded 
as  distinctive  of  this  region.  We  may  say  that  the  district  has 
been  occupied  by  the  Arkansas,  the  Kansas  and  Pani  Indians, 
branches  of  the  Dakotas,  but  it  is  unknown  to  what  class  the 
pottery-makers  belonged. 

(8.)  Intervening  between   these   two   district,  and    extending 
through   the   Gulf  States,  we   find   a   series   of  large  pyramidal 
mounds,  of  which  Cahokia  mound,  near  St.  Louis,  is  a  specimen. 
This  region  may  have  been  occupied  by  the  Natchez,  a  remark- 
able  people   who   were   known   to 
have  been  sun- worshipers  and  pyr- 
amid-builders.   Some  of  the  largest 
groups  of  pyramids  are  located  near 
the  City  of  Natchez,  the  place  which 
derived  its  name  from  the  tribe.    It 
is    a    region,    however,  where  the 
Chickasaws  and  Choctaws,  branches 
of  the  Muscogees,  formerly  dwe[t. 
This  leaves  the  question  as  to  who 
the    builders    of    these    pyramids 
were,  still  in  uncertainty. 

The  pyramids  are  supposed  to 
have  been  occupied  by  the  chiefs, 
and  furnished  foundations  for  the 
great  houses  or  official  residences. 
They  are  situated,  however,  in  the 
midst  of  land  subject  to  overflow, 
and  have  been  explained  by  some 
as  being  places  of  refuge  for  the 
people  in  time  of  high  water. 

In  the  eastern  part  of  this  dis- 
trict there  is  a  class  of  works  which  differs  from  those  in  the 
western.  Here  we  see  the  elevated  platform,  and  along  with  it 
the  circular  mound  for  the  temples,  and  between  them  oftentimes 
the  chunky  yard  and  public  square,  the  usual  accompaniments 
of  a  native  village.  See  Fig.  20.  The  race  distinction  is 
manifest  in  this  form  of  structure,  and  nowhere  else  do  we  find 
it.  The  tribes  who  dwelt  in  this  region  were  the  Creeks,  a  branch 
of  the  Muscogees.  These  works  have  been  ascribed  to  the  Cher- 
okees,  who  were  located  in  the  mountains.  The  Cherokees, 
however,  maintain  that  they  migrated  to  the  region  and  took 
possession  of  the  works  which  the  Creeks  and  Muscogees  had 
erected.  They  also  maintain  that  their  ancestors  were  Cave- 
dwellers,  and  describe  the  caves  from  which  they  issued.  Dr. 
Cyrus  Thomas  holds  that  the  Shawnees  were  in  this  regign  in 
pre-Columbian  times,  and  refers  to  the   evidence  furnished  by 


FHg.  CO.— Chunky  Yard. 


30  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THEIR  WORKS. 

the  relics  found  in  the  stone  graves,  and  especially  those  found 
m  the  Etowah  mound  in  Georgia,  as  proof  The  Shawnees  were, 
however,  late-comers,  belonging  to  the  Algonkin  stock,  a  stock 
marked  by  narrow  skulls.  They  were  preceded  by  the  Musco- 
gee stock — a  people  with  broad  skulls.  It  was  a  tradition  among 
the  Muscogees  that  they  migrated  from  the  west  and  found  the 
country  occupied  before  them,  while  their  ancestors  issued  from 
a  sloping  hill  at  the  command  of  their  divinity,  who  stamped 
upon  its  summit,  and  erected  the  pole,  which  led  them  through 
their  wanderings.  In  reference  to  the  Gulf  States  Col.  C.  C. 
Jones,  who  has  written  a  book  upon  the  antiquity  of  the  Southern 
Indians,  says  that  the  tribes  were  only  occupying  works  which 
had  been  erected  by  a  preceding  and  different  class  of  people. 
"  Even  upon  a  cursory  examination  of  the  groups  of  mounds 
with  their  attendent  ditches,  earth  walls,  fish  preserves,  it  is 
difficult  to  resist  the  impression  that  they  are  the  remains  of  a 
people  more  patient  of  labor,  and  in  some  respects  superior  to 
the  nomadic  tribes  who,  within  the  memory  ot  the  whites,  cling 
around  and  devote  to  secondary  uses  these  long-deserted  monu- 
ments." This  remark  was  made  after  diligent  study  of  the 
writings  left  by  the  historian  of  De  Soto's  expedition  and  of 
Adair  and  Bartram  and  comparing  them  with  the  evidence  given 
by  the  monuments  themselves. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON.  31 


CHAPTER  III. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON. 

One  of  the  first  questions  asked  of  the  arohaeologists  concern- 
ing the  Mound-builders  is,  What  was  their  probable  age?  The 
question  is  a  very  natural  one,  but,  in  the  form  generally  given, 
exhibits  a  misunderstanding  of  the  general  subject.  It  implies 
that  the  Mound-builders  were  all  one  people,  and  that  they 
spread  over  the  continent  at  a  particular  and  definite  time.  We 
have  already  shown  that  there  were  many  classes  of  Mound- 
builders,  and  that  there  were  different  periods  of  time — a  succes- 
sion of  population  being  one  of  the  plainest  facts  brought  out 
by  archaeological  investigation.  The  answer  to  the  question  is 
to  be  secured  by  the  study  of  the  Mound-builders  as  they  ap- 
peared at  different  dates  in  the  mound-building  period.  The  age 
of  the  Mound-builders  includes  not  one  specific  date,  but  covers 
many  epochs. 

'  We  maintain  that  there  was  a  Mound-builders'  age  in  this 
country,  and  that  it  is  as  distinctive  as  was  the  neolithic  age  in 
Europe.  The  neolithic  age  was  founded  on  the  discovery  of 
a  certain  class  of  relics,  relics  which  had  a  certain  degree  of 
polish  and  finish  about  them;  the  material  of  the  relics  making 
the  age  distinctive.  The  bronze  age  was  founded  on  the  discov- 
ery of  bronze  relics  in  the  midst  of  neolithic  relics,  the  material 
and  finish  of  the  relics  making  them  distinctive  So  the  Mound- 
builders'  age  is  based  on  the  prevalence  of  the  earth  heaps  which 
contain  within  them  the  relics  of  a  prehistoric  race.  The  character 
of  the  relics  as  well  as  the  material  of  which  the  works  were 
composed,  makes  the  Mound-builders'  age  distinctive. 

I.  As  to  the  naming  of  these  periods  there  is  some  uncertainty, 
but  the  following  facts  may  help  us  to  appreciate  it.  In  Europe 
the  paleolithic  age  continued  after  the  close  of  the  glacial  period. 
It  began  with  the  gravel  beds,  and  embraced  all  the  relics  found 
in  those  beds,  extended  through  the  period  of  the  cave-dwelling, 
embraced  nearly  all  the  cave  contents;  it  reached  up  to  the  time 
of  the  kitchen  middens,  and  embraced  the  relics  found  in  the 
lower  layers.  It  is  divided  into  various  epochs,  which  are  named 
differently.  The  English  named  them  after  the  animals  asso- 
ciated with  the  relics,  into  the  epochs  of  the  cave-bear,  mammoth 
and  reindeer.  The  French  named  them  after  the  caves  in  which 
they  were  found,  making  the  name  of  the  caves  descriptive  of 
the  relics. 


32 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


The  Chellean  relics  are  more  easily  distinguished  than  others, 
and  are  recognized  by  some  as  belonging  to  a  distinct  period, 
a  period  when  the  mammoth,  rhinoceros  and  cave-bear  prevailed 
in  Europe.  These  stand  alone  and  belong  to  an  earlier  geolog- 
ical period  than  the  rest  of  the  Cave-dwellers'  relics.  A  number  of 
objects  discovered  at  Moustier,  at  Solutre  and  at  La  Madeleine 
mark  a  second  and  a  third  period  of  the  paleolithic  age. 

In  America  the  paleolithic  age  preceded  the  neolithic,  as  in 
Europe.  It  may  be  divided  into  three  epochs :  i .  The  pre-glacial, 
the  epoch  in  which  the  relics  were  deposited  in  loess.     2.  The 


20 


80  Feet 


Scale  Si  feet  to  the  incli. . 
Mg.  1.— Elephant  Mffiyy. 

glacial,  an  epoch  in  which  the  relics  were  deposited  in  gravel. 
3.  The  Champlain,  an  epoch  in  which  the  relics  were  deposited 
upon  the  summit  of  the  hills  and  above  the  glacial  gravels. 

The  American  archaeologists  name  them  after  the  character 
of  the  gravels  in  which  they  are  found,  as  well  as  the  character 
of  the  relics.  It  may  be  said  that  the  subdivision  of  the 
paleolithic  age  in  America  has  not  been  fully  established.  There 
seems  to  be  some  uncertainty  as  to  the' French  and  English 
divisions. 


♦Evidence  is  increasing  to  show  that  the  paleolithic  people  continued  after  the 
glacial  period,  as  flint  relics  which  are  chipped  so  as  to  make  tools  of  various  kinds, 
have  been  found  in  the  beds  of  the  water  courses  in  Iowa  and  elsewhere.  These  per- 
haps should  be  assigned  to  the  Champlain  epoch.  They  were  followed  by  the  Cave- 
dwellers,  who  lett  their  relics  and  remains  in  the  shelter  caves  of  Ohio,  Kentucky 
and  Tennessee,  and  other  localities.  Bone  implements  were  common  among  this 
people,  but  not  naany  metal  relics.  The  shell  heaps  of  Florida  and  Maine  may  have 
Delonged  to  the  people  who  followed  the  Cave-dwellers.  The  people  who  left  the  fire 
beds  in  the  bottom  lands  of  Ohio  at  various  depths :below  the  surface  followed  the 
Cave-dwellers.  The  Mound-builders  came  in  about  this  time.  They  were  a  neolithic 
people,  and  were  probably  immigrants  from  some  other  country.  Four  lines  of  mi- 
gration have  been  recognized  among  the  Mound-builders:  One  from  the  northeast 
to  the  southwest;  another  from  the  northwest  to  the  southeast;  a  third  from  the 
soutliwest  to  the  northeast;  a  fourth  Irom  the  southeast,  north  and  west. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODOX. 


33 


Naming  the  periods  after  the  animals  is  suitable  to  America, 
though   the  animals  would   be  different   from  those  in    Europe. 

In  Europe  the  cave-bear, 
mastodon  and  the  rein- 
deer made  three  epochs. 
In  America  the  megathe- 
rium found  in  Brazil.jthe 
mastodon  found  in  the 
gravel  beds  and  peat- 
bogs, and  the  buffalo, 
now  almost  extinct,  mark 
three  different  epochs.  In 
Europe,  the  paleolithic 
age  was  contained  within 

\Figs.  2  and  S.— Obsidian  Arrows  from  Idaho*  .1  .  •      1 

■'  the    quartenary    period, 

and  came  to  an  end  before  the  beginning  of  the  present  geologic 
period.  It  was  followed  by  the  neolithic  age.  The  character- 
istic of  this  age  was  that  polished  stone  relics,  such  as  hatchets, 


Figs.  4,  5,  6  and  7. — Shell  Beads  from  Mounds, 

celts  and  finely-chipped  arrows,  spear-heads  and  a  fine  class  of 
pottery  abounded.  Another  characteristic  was  that  mounds  were 
common.  Shell  heaps  marked  its  beginning,  chambered  mounds 
its  end.  The  bronze  age  followed  the  stone  age.  This  began 
with  the  lake-dwellings  and  continued 
through  the  time  of  the  rude  stone  monu- 
ments, and  up  to  the  historic  age.  Bronze 
was  the  material  which  characterized  the 
age,  a  material  which  was  not  made  in 
Europe,  but  was  brought  from  Asia  and 
was  re-cast.  No  less  than  fifty-seven  found- 
ries of  bronze  have  been  discovered  in 
France  and  a  large  number  in  Italy;  one  at  Bologna  having  no 
less  than  14,000 pieces  broken  and  ready  for  casting.  The  hatchets 
were  cast  in  molds,  with  wings  for  holding  the  handle,  and  many 
of  them  with  sockets  and  eyes  by  which  they  could  be  lashed  to 


©     cmnmnmi* 

Fiy.  8,— Bone  Needles. 


*Prof.  E  L.  Berthoud  discovered  a  number  of  obsidian  relics  on  the  Upper  Madison 
Fork  in  Idaho.  He  says :  "I  have  gathered  some  very  characteristic  obsidian  im- 
plements on  Lake  Henry  and  Snake  River,  which  I  transmit.  1  have  always  under- 
stood that  the  presence  of  obsidian  relics  in  Kansas,  Colorado,  Nebraska,  Wyoming 
and  Utah  was  due  to  the  probable  intercourse  of  the  Aztec  races  with  the  more 
northern  tribes.  I  am  now  satisfied  that  they  were  derived  from  the  Yellowstone 
and  Snake  Rivers,  rather  than  from  New  and  Old  Mexico.  In  the  National  Park 
Prof.  Hayden  found  a  gorge  in  the  mouutalns  which  was  almost  entirely  formed  of 
volcanic  glass;  they  have  aptly  named  it  'Obsidian  Canon'." — Proceedings  of  Daven. 
port  Academy,  Vol.  Ill,  Part  II. 


34  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

the  handle.  The  neolithic  age  in  America  began  with  the  close  of 
the  paleolithic  and  ended  with  the  historic  period.  The  polished 
stone  relics  found  in  the  auriferous  gravels  of  California,  such  as 
steatite  ollas,  mortars  and  pestles,  and  those  found  under  the  lava 
beds,  belong  to  this  age.  They  constitute  one  class  of  neolithic 
relics,  and  may  be  assigned  to  one  epoch  of  the  neolithic  age. 
We  maintam  that  the  Mound-builders  in  America  represented 
one  epoch,  perhaps  the  earliest  of  the  neolithic  age.  This  age 
began  some  time  after  the  glacial  period  and  ended  about  the 
time  of  the  advent  of  the  white  man,  but  embraced  about  all  the 
time    which    the  neolithic   age    occupied  in    Europe.       Nearly 

all  the  relics  found  in  the  Mis- 
sissippi Valley,  such  as  arrow- 
heads, spear-heads,  knives,  pol- 
ished stone  axes,  celts,  carved 
stone  pipes,  many  specimens  of 
pottery,  the  shell  gorgets  and  the 
drinking  vessels,  the  pieces  of 
copper,  ornamented  and  unorna- 
mented,  the  mica  plates,  many  of 
the  bone  implements,  the  needles 
and  awls,  the  silver  ornaments, 
and  the  few  specimens  of  gold* 
and  meteoric  iron,  belong  to  the 

Fig.9.-PoUery  Vase.  Mound-builderS.   Neolithic  rclicS 

are  found  in  the  mounds;  though  some  of  them,  of  the  ruder 
class,  are  found  in  the  fire  beds  and  shelter-caves.  Specimens  of 
the  neolithic  age  are  picked  up  indiscriminately  upon  the  surface. 
The  aborigines  of  America  were  in  this  age.  The  cliff-dwellings 
and  pueblos  must  be  assigned  to  this  age.  They  constitute  a 
second  division,  the  Mound-builders  being  assigned  to  the  first. 
The  relics  of  the  Cliff-dwellers  are  not  much  in  advance  of  those 
of  the  Mound-builders,  but  their  houses  show  an  advanced  stage 
of  architecture.  A  third  division  of  the  neolithic  age  may  be 
recognized  among  the  civilized  races  of  Mexico  and  Central 
America,  though  these  are  by  some  archaeologists  ascribed  to 
the  bronze  age.  It  appears  that  the  division  of  the  neolithic  age 
in  America  corresponded  to  that  in  Europe  ;  the  Mound-builders, 
Cliff-dwellers  and  the  civilized  races  constitute  the  three  parts 
of  that  age,  as  the  barrows,  the  lake-dwellings  and  the  rude  stone 
monuments  did  in  Europe.  It  may  be  that  two  preceding  periods 
should  be  assigned  to  the  caves  and  fire  beds,  which  corres- 
ponded to  the  caves  and  kitchen  middens. f 

*Dr.  Charles  Rau  describes  a  gold  ornament  found  in  a  mound  in  Florida,  repre- 
senting the  bill  of  an  ivory  billed  woodpecker,  the  material  of  which  was  made  dur- 
ing the  second  period  of  Spanish  supremacy.  It  was  taken  from  the  center  of  the 
mound,  and  furnishes  evidence  that  Mouud-building  was  continued  after  the  occu- 
pation by  Europeans.  Prol.  Jeffries  Wynian  has,  however,  spoken  of  the  remains  of 
the  great  auk  in  the  shell  mounds  of  Maine  and  the  absence  of  any  article  which 
was  derived  from  the  white  man.    See  American  Naturalist,  Vol.  I. 

tSome  of  the  shelter  caves  and  the  terraces  of  Ohio  seem  to  have  been  occupiedjby 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON. 


35 


II.  The  part  which  the  Mound-builders  performed  in  connec- 
tion with  the  neoHthic  age.  The  Mound-builders,  in  a  technical 
sense,  are  to  be  confined  to  the  Mississippi  Valley,  There  are, 
to  be  sure,  many  mounds  and  earth-works  on  the  northwest 
coast,  others  in  Utah,  and  still  others  scattered  among  the  civil- 
ized races  in  Mexico,  but  the  Mound-builders  as  such  were  the 
inhabitants  of  this  valley.  We  shall  see  the  extent  of  their 
territory  if  we  take  the  mounds  of  the  Red  River  Valley  as  one 
stream  and  follow  the  line  across  the  different  districts  until  we 
reach  the  mounds  of  Florida.  This  is  the  length  of  their  terri- 
tory north  and  south;  the  breadth  could  be  indicated  by  the 
Allegheny  mountains  upon  the  east  and  the  foot-hills  of  the 
Rocky  mountains  upon  the  west,  for  all  this  range  ol  territory 


tig.  10. — Hoes  from  Tennessee. 

belonged  to  the  Mound-builders.  Within  this  territory  we  have 
the  copper  mines  of  Lake  Superior/  the  salt  mines  of  Illinois 
and  Kentucky,^  the  garden  beds  of  Michigan/  the  pipe-stone 
quarries  of  Minnesota,'  the  extensive  potteries  of  Missouri,"  the 
stone  graves  of  Illinois,*^  the  work-shops,  the  stone  cairns,  the 
stone  walls,  the  ancient  roadways,  and  the  old  walled  towns  of 
Georgia,"  the  hut  rings  of  Arkansas,'  the  shelter-caves  of  Ten- 
nessee and  Ohio,'  the  mica  mines  in  South  Carolina,"  the  quar- 
ries in  Flint  Ridge  in  Ohio,^^  the  ancient  hearths  ot  Ohio,^"  the 
bone  beds^^  and  alabaster  caves  in  Indiana,^*  the  shell-heaps 
of  Florida,^'  oil  wells  and  ancient  mines,  and  the  rock  inscrip- 
tions" which  are  scattered  over  the  territory  everywhere. 

We  ascribe  all  of  these  to  the   Mound-builders  and  conclude 
that  they  were  worked   by  this   people,  for   the   relics  from  the 


a  rude  people,  whose  remains  are  buried  in  the  debris,  for  layers  ef  ashes  have  been 
found  having  great  depths.  The  fire  beds  and  stone  graves  have  been  found  at 
various  depths  beneath  the  river  bottoms.— ,l/(a»u'  GcizcUe,  Jan.  20, 1S02.  See  Smith- 
sonian Report,  1874.  R.  8.  Robinson;  Peabody  Museum.  8lh  Report,  F.  W.  Putnam. 
The  Mammoth  cave  and  other  deep  caves  have  yielded  mummiesand  other  remains 
which  may  have  belonged  to  this  antecedent  period.— CV3?/(>i.s'  History  of  Kevtitrky. 

The  great  auk,  Prof.  Wyman  says,  survived  until  after  the  arrival'  of  the  Euro- 
peans. Pottery  is  poorly  represented;  ornamentation  is  of  the  rudest  kind;  the 
shell  heaps  yielded  lew  articles  of  stone;  implements  of  stone  are  common  in  Flor- 
ida.   A  domesticated  animal  was  found  with  eatables. 

1  See  Foster's  Prehistoric  Races,  p.  265.    2  Ibid.,  p.  249.    .3  See  American  Antiquar- 
ian, Vols  I  and  VII     4  Geol.  Rep.  of  Minnesota,  Vol.  I,  pp.  151  and  555.    5  See  Prof. 
Swallow's  article,  Peabody  Mu.seum,  Sth  rep.,  and  Arch,  of  Mo.,  18S0.    G  See  Sm.  Rep. 
1866.        7  See  C.  C,  Jones  and  .lames  Moonev's  9ih  An.  Rep.  of  Eth.  Bu.,  also  Am 
Anthro..  Vol.  II,  p.  241.   See  Am.  Ant..  Vol.  XIII  No.  6.,  H.  S.  Halbert.    S  See  Palmer 
in  Eth.  Bu..  9th  An.  Rep.  of  A.  A. .Vol.  Ill,  p.  271,  in  Iowa.      9  See  Robinsin's  article, 
Sm.  Rep.,  1874,  p.  367;  A.  A.,  Vol.  II,'p.  203.    10  See  Report  bv  James  Mooney,  9th  An. 
Eth.  Bu.  Rep.;  12th  Rep.  Pea.  Museum.    11  SeeAmerif-an  Antiquarian,  Vol.  II,  p.  95 
12  Ibid.,  Vol  VI,  p.  101.    13  Ibid.,  Vol.  VIII,  p,  6J.     14  Ibid.,  Vol.  III.     15  Ibid..  Vol 
II.  p.  257.    16  Ibid.,  Vol.  XI,  J  S.  Newberry,  p.  165. 


36 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


mines  and  quarries  are  found  in  the  mounds.  Besides  these  relics 
we  find  others  which  were  received  by  aboriginal  trade ;  obsidian 
knives  and  arrows  (see  Figs.  2  and  3)  from  Idaho;  jade  axes 
from  an  unknown  source,  carved  specimens  which  seem  to  have 
come  from  Mexico;  shells*  and  wampum  (Figs.  4  to  7)  from  the 
gult  of  Mexico ;  specimens  of  art  which  show  connection  with  the 
northwest  coast  and  carved  pipes  which  show  familiarity  with 
animals  and  birds  from  the  central  provinces.  The  Mound- 
builders  were  the  chief  representatives  of  the  neolithic  age,  vying 
with  the  Cliff-dwellers  in  a  grade  of  civilization,  but  having  a 
much  more  varied  culture  than  they.  Their  territory  extended 
over  more  land  than  any  other  class  of  people  known  to  the  pre- 
historic age,  and  their  art  presents  more  variety  than  any  other 
class. 

The  cuts  represent  the  character  of  the  relics  taken  from  the 
mounds.  The  pottery  vase  (Fig.  9)  is  trom  a  mound  in  Michi- 
gan and  shows  the  high  stage  of  art  reached  there.     The  hoes 

and  sickles  (Figs.  10  and 
1 1)  are  from  mounds  in 
Tennessee  and  show  the 
agricultural  character  of 
the  people.  The  banner 
stone  and  silver  orna- 
ment (Figs.  12,  13  and 
14)  are  from  mounds  in 
Florida.  A.  E.  Doug- 
lass thinks  the  silver  or- 
nament was  modern.  We 
place  these  cuts  along- 
side of  the  elephant  pipes 
and  other  relics  to  show 

Fig.  ll.-Sickles  from  Tennessee.  ^^^     j^^^^^     ^^    ^^^     ^^^ 

of  the   Mound-builders.     Some  of  them  were  evidently   quite 
ancient  and  others  were  very  modern. 

III.  As  to  the  antiquity  of  the  Mound-builders,  we  may  say 
that  dates  are  always  difficult  to  fix.  We  can  not  give  them 
definitely.  We  imagine  that  the  Mound-builders  were  the  first 
people  who  occupied  the  territory  after  the  close  of  the  glacial 
period,  that  they  followed  hard  on  to  the  paleolithic  people,  that 
no  other  race  intervened.  This  is,  however,  a  matter  of  conjec- 
ture. Our  reasons  for  holding  this  are  as  follows:  i.  The 
appearance  of  the  mastodon  and  mammoth.     We  contend  that 


*W.  H.  Pratt  has  described  worked  shells  from  Calhoun  County,  Illinois,  also  shell 
beads  from  mounds  at  Albany  (Figs.  4,  5  and  6),  and  wampum  from  mounds  in 
Florida  (Fig.  7),  which  he  thinks  were  used  as  currency,  giving  the  idea  that  wam- 
pum existed  in  the  Mound-builders'  time;  others  think  wampum  was  introduced  by 
the  white  man.  The  value  of  the  beads  was  owing  more  to  the  work  placed  upon 
them  than  to  the  rarity  of  the  shells.  Copper  beads  found  in  the  mounds  at  Daven- 
port contained  the  cord  upon  which  they  were  strung.  This  would  indicate  that  the 
beads  were  somewhat  recent. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON.  37 

these  animals  and  the  Mound-builders  were  contemporaneous. 
The  only  age  which  intervened  between  the  glacial  period  and 
the  Mound-builder's  period  is  to  be  called  the  mastodon's  age. 
We  are  ready  to  acknowledge  that  a  long  time  must  have  elapsed 
between  the  glacial  age  and  the  Mound-builders,  but  in  the  ab- 
sence of  proof  that  any  other  inhabitants  occupied  the  territory 
we  ascribe  the  time  or  period  to  the  mastodon  and  mammoth. 
The  paleolithic  people  may  indeed  have  survived  the  glacial 
period  and  been  also  contemporaneous  with  the  mastodon,  the 
real  age  of  the  mammoth  and  mastodon  covering  the  whole  of 
the  paleolithic  age  and  overlapping  the  Mound-builders,  the 
first  being  the  age  in  which 
tne  mastodon  was  numerous. 
Certain    writers   have    denied 

this,  and  have  argued  that  so  ^ 

long  an  interval  of  time  elapsed  0 

between  the    Mound-builders  ^^/ 

and  the  close  of  the  glacial  age  .^  -^ 

that  the  mastodon  disappeared 
altogether,  that  the  buffalo 
was  the  animal  which  was 
distinctive  of  the  Mound- 
builder's  age,  and  the  masto- 
don was  the  animal  distinctive  i  \ 
of  the  paleolithic  age.  Their 
arguments  are  as  follows:  The 
forests  which  have  spread  over 

the     northern     half    of    the         /i  i>\ 

Mound-builders'  territory  are 

in  places  very  dense.     During    ,  _^«--^ 

the  glacial  period   this  region 

11  r  •        i-u  F^V-  12.— Banner  Stoue  from  Florida. 

was  covered  by  a  sea  ol  ice,  the 

ground  must  needs  settle  and  be  covered  with  alluvial  before  the 
forests  would  grow.  The  forests  could  only  gradually  appear,  the 
distribution  of  seeds  and  the  springing  up  of  the  saplings  being 
a  slow  process.  Another  argument  is  taken  from  analogy.  In 
Europe  the  period  of  the  gravel  beds  was  supposed  to  be  the 
same  as  the  glacial  period  and  marked  the  beginning  of  the  pale- 
olithic age.  There  were,  however,  between  the  gravel  beds  and 
the  age  of  the  barrows  three  or  four  different  epochs — the  cave- 
dwellers,  the  people  of  the  kitchen  middens  and  the  lake-dwellers 
— the  progress  having  been  gradual  between  the  periods.*     In 


*Col.  Whittlesey  speak  of  three  periods:  The  early  drift  period  which  belonged  to 
primitive  man;  the  period  of  the  Mound-builders,  whose  antijjuity  is  from  four  to 
five  thousand  years,  with  slight  evidence  of  an  intervening  race  between  the  Monnd- 
builders  and  primitive  man;  and  the  period  of  the  red  man.  The  evidence  of  man 
more  ancient  than  the  Mound-builders  he  finds  in  the  fluviatile  deposits,  which  were 
above  the  fire  beds  on  the  Ohio  river,  to  the  depth  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet.  The  same 
evidence  is  given  by  Prof.  Vv\ti\?im.~ Article  read  before  the  American  Association  in 
Chicago,  1S6S. 


38 


PREHISTOBIC  MONUMENTS. 


<#^_ 


America  the  change  was  more  sudden,  for  the  tokens  which  are 
found  in  the  auriferous  gravels  are   much   more  advanced  than 

any  found  in  the  gravel  beds  of  Europe. 
They  correspond  to  the  relics  of  the  lake- 
dwellers  and  the  barrows.  The  Mound- 
builders'  relics  are  also  much  more  advanced 
than  those  of  the  gravel  beds  in  the  same 
territory,  and  the  supposition  is  that  there 
must  have  been  either  an  intervening  period 
in  which  mound-building  was  not  prac- 
ticed, or  that  there  was  an  immigration  of 
the  Mound-builders  into  this  territory  from 
some  other  part.  We  acknowledge  that 
there  are  some  facts  which  favor  this  sup- 
position or  idea  that  there  were  inhabitants 
intervening  between  the  rude  paleolithic 
people  and  advanced  Mound-builders  who 
corresponded  to  the  people  of  the  kitchen 
middens  and  to  the  earlv  lake-dwellers. 
Mff.  is.-siiver  Ornament.*  p^ggibly  we  shall  find  that  the  fire  beds  of  the 

interior  and  the  kitchen  middens  of  the  sea  coast  were  deposited 
during  this  period,  and  the  divisions  of  time  may  be  identified  by 
these  tokens.  We  maintain  that  the  close  of 
the  glacial  period  was  not  so  sudden  as 
some  imagine.  There  may  have  been  a 
littoral  class  of  fishermen  who  were  the 
occupants  before  the  close  of  this  period. 
They  followed  aftertheiceas  it  disappeared, 
leaving  their  shell  heaps  on  the  coast  and 
their  fire  beds  in  the  interior.  In  favor  of 
this  we  may  mention  the  fact  that  the  tooth 
of  a  polar  bear  and  the  bones  of  the  auk, 
both  of  which  are  animals  that  occupy  the 
arctic  regions  and  inhabit  the  ice  fields, 
have  been  found  in  a  shell  heap  on  the 
coast  of  Maine,  thus  proving  that  there 
were  inhabitants  when  the  ice  reached  as 
far  south  as  that  point.  The  mastodon  evi- 
dently inhabited  the  country  long  before  the 
glacial  period.  It  survived  that  period  and  ^'^-  ^''-'^•'"'"-  omament. 
may  have  existed  during  the  time  the  land  was  becoming  settled 


*Mr.  {Jeo.  F.  Kiinz  has  described  a  sold  object  resembling  a  shield,  tal<en  from  a 
mound  in  Florida,  an  ear  disc  of  silver,  a  triangular  silver  ornament,  a  flat  bar  of 
silver,  all  taken  from  mounds  in  Florida,  Mr.  Douglas  has  spoken  ol  circular  plates 
from  Halifax  river;  Col.  C.  C.  Jones  of  silver  beads,  not  European,  from  Etowah  val- 
ley. Mr.  Douglas  thinks  that  the  silver  specimens  were  taken  from  wrecked  vessels 
after  the  discovery,  and  relers  to  a  specimen  found  on  an  island  near  Florida,  which 
has  the  marks  of  modern  wormanship  upon  it.  The  etchings  of  the  cross  orbis 
mundi  and  the  heart  may  be  attributed  to  the  Spanish  priests,  though  the  moons  on 
the  opposite  side  were  native  symbols.  He  says  that  the  four  ornaments  described 
by  Mr.  Kunz  were  associated  with  European  manufacture.  See  American  Antiquar- 
ian, Vol.  IX,  page  219. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON. 


39 


and  until  it  was  covered  with  forests  and  became  inhabited  by- 
wild  tribes.  During  this  time  the  peat  beds  and  the  swamps 
were  their  favorite  resorts;  many  of  them  became  mired  in  the 
swamps  and  were  attacked  by  the  natives.  These  natives  were 
acquainted  with  fire,  and  used  rude  stone  implements — arrows 
and  spear  heads.  As  the  mastodon  retreated  northward  the 
hunters  also  migrated  and  became  the  denizens  of  the  forests  of 
the  northern  districts.  This  accounts  foi  the  scarcity  of  images 
of  the  elephant  and  mastodon  among  the  southern  Mound- 
builders,  and  for  the  images  of  the  same  animals  among  the 
northern  Mound-builders. 

We  have  mentioned  the  find  of  Dr.  Koch  of  the  mastodon  in 
the  Gasconade  swamp  of  Missouri.  This  was  an  important  find. 
Dr.  Koch  says  there  were  remains  of  fire- stones  and  arrow-heads 
near  the  bones,  showing  that  the  animal  had  been  hunted  by  the 


Fig.  15.— Nondescript  Animal  from  the  Mounds  * 

people  then  living.  Dr.  Koch  made  the  statement  that  this 
animal  was  capable  of  feeding  itself  with  its  fore-teet,  after  the 
manner  of  the  beaver  or  otter.  This  statement  was  doubted  at 
the  time,  and  seemed  to  cast  discredit  upon  the  entire  find.  It 
now  proves  very  important.  In  a  late  number  of  the  Scientific 
American  is  a  description  of  the  Newberg  mastodon,  in  which 
this  very  peculiarity  is  noticed.f  The  writer  says:  "The  most 
important  comparison  is  in  the  aspect  of  the  fore-limbs.  In  the 
elephant  the  fore-limbs  are  columnar,  as  are  the  hind-limbs.  In 
the  mastodon  there  is  a  decided  aspect,  more  or  less,  of  prehen- 
sile capacity  (as  it  were),  that  is,  the  latter  have  the  fore-feet 
approaching  the  plantigrade  in  aspect,  and  were  correspondingly 
adapted  for  pronation.  Of  course  this  is  slight,  but  it  shows  the 
difference  in  probable  habits.  The  fore-limbs  of  the  mastodon 
with  such  development,  we  should  expect,  would  be  able  to  be 
thrown  over  the  low  foliage  or  brush-wood,  and  a  crushing 
effected  by  the  somewhat  expanded  manus.  No  such  movement 
could  be  effected  by  elephas.     As  much  as  we  naturally  compare 


*The  animal  contained  in  the  cut,  with  a  bill  resembling  a  duck,  was  found  by 
a  farmer  while  plowing  over  Mound  No  3.  It  is  a  natural  sandstone  concretion 
fastened  upon  a  thin  piece  of  liglit-brown  flint.  The  eyes  are  of  quartz,  fastened  on 
with  some  kind  of  cement.    They  give  a  fierce  look  to  the  creature. 

tSee  Scientific  American,  January,  1892,  article  by  Dr.  J.  B.  Holden. 


40 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


the  two  great  creatures,  and  especially  as  both  have  similar  nasal 
development,  a  near  view  of  both  together  shows  many  differ- 
ences in  form.." 

2.  The  survival  of  the  mastodon.  J.  B.  Holden  says:  "In  nearly 
every  State  west  of  New  England  portions  of  this  creature  have 
been  disinterred.  And  every  year  there  are  several  found,  more 
or  less  in  a  state  of  complete  preservation.  The  circumstance 
of  several  skeletons  having  about  them  evidence  of  man's  work 
is  extremely  interesting.*     On  one  account,  it  brings  the  date, 

though  greatly  indefinite,  to  man's  exist- 
ence. We  are  therefore  able  to  say  man 
and  mastodon  are  contemporaneous.  We 
have  not  determined  what  sort  of  man 
made  those  stone  arrow-heads  which 
struck  the  life  out  from  the  great  carcasses 
and  lie  among  their  remains.  We  have 
not  a  knowledge  of  what  sort  of  man 
made  the  charcoal  which  was  found  lying 
among  the  partly  burned  bones  of  a 
mastodon,  but  we  do  know  that  some 
man  made  the  arrow-heads.  And  we 
know  also  that  no  other  than  man  is 
capable  of  making  charcoal,  or  even  to 
make  fire  by  which  it  is  formed." 

Prof  Barton,  of  the  University  of  Penn- 
sylvania, discovered  the  bones  of  a  mas- 
todon at  a  depth  of  six  feet,  and  in  the 
stomach  of  the  animal  he  found  a  mass 
of  vegetable  matter,  composed  of  leaves 
and  branches,  among  which  was  a  rush, 
now  common  in  Virginia.  Wincheli  says:  "The  ancient  lakelets 
of  Michigan  enclose  numerous  remains  of  the  mastodon  and 
mammoth,  but  they  are  sometimes  so  near  the  surface  that  one 
could  believe  them  to  have  been  buried  within  500  years.  The 
mastodon  found  near  Tecumseh  lay  but  two  feet  and  a  half  be- 
neath the  surface.  The  Adrian  mastodon  was  buried  about  three 
feet.  The  Newberg  (New  York)  mastodon  just  beneath  the  soil 
in  a  small  pool  of  water." 

Prof.  Samuel  Lockwood,  of  Freehold,  New  Jersey,  has  spoken 
of  the  life  range  of  the  m.astodon.  He  has  shown  that  this  ani- 
mal was  living  at  a  period  well  up  into  the  recent  geologic  time. 
It  came  in  with  the  great  extinct  fossil-beaver,  which  it  outlived, 
and  became  contemporary  with  the  modern  beaver.  It  lived  to 
be  contemporary  with  the  American  aboriginal  men  and  probably 
melted  away  before  the  presence  of  man.     Prof  Lockwood  dis- 


Fig.  16.— Copper  Axe. 


*The  two  pipes  ■which  have  been  found  and  which  are  now  in  the  Davenport  Acad- 
emy, may  represent  the  two  classes  of  animals;  the  one  Mastodon  Giganteus,  the 
Elephas  Pririiigeniiis,  if  so,  they  are  all  valuable  finds. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON. 


41 


covered  a  mastodon  in  a  beat  bog,  near  by  a  fossil-beaver  dam,  in 
such  circumstances  as  led  him  to  suspect  that  the  mastodon  had 
been  actually  buried  by  the  beavers.* 

Prof.  Shaler  says:  "Almost  any  swampy  bit  of  ground  in 
Ohio  or  Kentucky  contains  traces  of  the  mammoth  or  mastodon. 
The  fragments  of  wood  which  one  finds  beneath  their  bones 
seem  to  be  of  the  common  species  of  existing  trees,  and  the 
reeds  and  other  swamp-plants  which  are  embedded  with  their 
remains  are  apparently  the  same  as  those  which  now  spring  in 
the  soil.  They  fed  upon  a  vegetation  not  materially  different 
from  that  now  existing  in  the  region. f  Prof.  Hall  says:  "Of 
the  very  recent  existence  of  this  animal  there  seems  to  be  no 
doubt.  The  marl  beds  and  muck  swamps,  where  these  remains 
occur,  are  the  most  recent  of  all  superficial  accumulations. 


Fig.  17 .—Elephant  Pipe,  found  in  a  Corn-field. 

Dr.  John  Collet  says  that  in  the  summer  of  1880  an  almost 
complete  skeleton  of  a  mastodon  was  found  in  Iroquois  County, 
Illinois,  which  goes  far  to  settle  definitely  that  it  was  a  recent 
animal  and  fed  upon  the  vegetation  which  prevails  to-day.  The 
tusks  were  nine  feet  long,  twenty-two  inches  in  circumference, 
and  weighed  175  pounds;  the  lower  jaw  was  nearly  fifteen  feet 
long;  the  teeth  weighed  four  or  five  pounds;  each  of  the  leg 
bones  measured  five  feet  and  a  half,  indicating  that  the  animal 
was  eleven  feet  high.  On  inspecting  the  remains  closely,  a  mass 
of  fibrous  matter  was  found  filling  the  place  of  the  animal's  stom- 
ach, which  proved  to  be  a  crushed  mass  of  herbs  and  grasses 
similar  to  those  which  still  grow  in  the  vicinity.  A  skeleton 
was  found  by  excavating  the  canal,  embedded  in  the  peat,  near 
Covington,  Fountain  County.  Indiana.  When  the  larger  bones 
were  split  open  the  marrow  was  utilized  by  the  bog-cutters  to 
grease  their  boots.  Chunks  of  sperm-like  substance  occupied 
the  place  of  the  kidney  fat  of  the  monster.;}; 

•See  Proceedings  A.  A.  A.  A.,  31st  meeting.  Montreal,  18S2,  Part  II,  p.  2fi5. 

tSee  Amer.  Nat.,  pp.  605-7.    Also,  Epocti  of  the  Mammoth,  by  J.  U.  Souihall,  p.  103 

JSee  Geological  Report  of  Indiana,  1880,  p.  3K4. 


42 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


These  discoveries  convince  us  that  the  mastodon  survived  the 
glacial  period,  and  may  have  been  contemporaneous  with  the 
Mound-builders. 

IV.  Were  the  Mound-builders  contemporaneous  with  the 
mastodon  ?  This  is  a  disputed  point,  and  considerable  feeling 
has  been  raised  in  the  contention.  There  have  been  reports  of 
the  images  of  the  mastodon  and  mammoth;  but  the  genuineness 
of  the  finds  has  been  disputed,  and  is  still  with  some  a  matter  of 
doubt.  Were  we  to  discriminate  between  these,  however,  accept- 
ing some  as  genuine,  others  as  doubtful,  we  might  reach  a  safe 
conclusion.  The  history  of  these  discoveries  is  about  as  follows: 
In  1874.  Mr.  Jared  Warner  found  upon  the  bottom-land  of  the 
Mississippi,  near  Wyalusing,  an  effigy  which  was  called  an  ele- 
phant. He,  in  company  with  a  number  of  gentlemen,  measured 
and  platted  it,  and  sent  a  drawing  of  it  to  the  Smithsonian  Insti- 
tute.*    Mr.  Warner  says  :  "It  has  been  known  here  lor  the  last 


^,iivj:|I||i!';ini|]i|||ijiini!i!! 


cl  e  /  d 

Section  of  Mound. — A,  first  grave;  B,  second  grave;  a,  limestone  one  foot  below 
the  surface;  b,  human  remains,  probably  Indians;  c,  upper  shell  bed;  d,  lower  shell 
toed;  c,  cavity  on  north  side  of  grave  A;  /,  position  of  tablets. 

Fig.  18. — Section  of  Mound. 

twenty-five  years  as  the  elephant  mound."  "The  head  is  large, 
and  the  proportion  of  the  whole  so  symmetrical  that  the  mound 
well  deserves  the  name.  The  mound  was  in  a  shallow  valley 
between  two  sandy  ridges,  and  was  only  about  eight  feet  above 
high  water."  There  are  many  mounds  in  this  section  of  country 
in  the  shape  of  birds,  bears,  deer  and  foxes.  We  would  say  that 
the  effigy  of  the  bear,  which  is  very  common  here,  and  which 
was  the  totem  of  the  clan  formerly  dwelling  here,  has  exactly 
the  same  shape  as  the  so-called  elephant,  but  is  not  so  large  and 
lacks  the  proboscis.  The  projection  at  the  nose  called  the  pro- 
boscis is  not  really  one,  but  is  the  result  of  the  w-ashing  of  the  soil. 
It  was  a  mere  prolongation  of  the  head,  had  no  curve,  did  not 
even  reach  so  far  as  the  feet,  and  can  be  called  a  proboscis  only 
by  a  stretch  of  imagination.  There  is  no  evidence  whatever 
that  it  was  intended  to  represent  a  proboscis.  The  size  of  this 
mastodon  is  as  follows:  length  135  feet,  from  hind-feet  to  back 
sixty  feet,  from  fore-feet  to  back  sixty-six  feet,  from  end  of  snout 


*The  report  was  published  in  1875.    The  gentlemen  who  accompanied  Mr.  Warner 
were  Mr.  J,  C.  Orr  and  Mr.  J.  C.  Scott. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON. 


43 


to  neck  or  throat  thirty-one  feet,  from  end  of  snout  to  fore-legs 
thirty-nine  feet,  between  fore-legs  and  hind-legs  fifty-one  feet, 
across  the  body  thirty-six  feet.  These  measurements  make  the 
proboscis  and  snout  combined  about  the  same  length  as  the  fore- 
legs ;  the  proboscis  alone  about  half  the  length  of  the  fore-legs ; 
whereas,  had  it  been  a  genuine  imitation  it  should  have  been 
nearly  double  the  length.  The  writer  has  visited  the  effigy  two 
or  three  times,  but  found  it  more  and  more  obliterated.  No 
other  effigy  of  the  elephant  could  be  discovered  in  the  vicinity, 
and  no  other  has  since  been  discovered.     Compare  Figs,  i  and  17. 


\^*«\»i 


Plan  of  Mound.— A,  first  grave:  B,  second  grave;  n,  cavity  on  north  side  ol  grav& 
A;  b.  layer  of  stones  at  edge  of  shell  bed;  c,  loam  between  the  graves;  d,  skeletons  in 
first  grave;  e,  skeletons  in  second  grave;  /,  position  of  tablet. 

Fig.  19— Plan  of  Mound. 

The  history  of  the  second  discovery  is  about  as  follows.  In 
the  year  1874,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gass  was  engaged  in  exploring 
mounds.  He  came  upon  a  group  of  mounds  situated  about  a 
mile  below  the  city  of  Davenport  (see  map),  on  the  bank  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  about  250  feet  from  it  and  from  eight  to 
twelve  feet  above  low  water  mark,  which  consisted  of  ten  or 
twelve  mounds.  Several  of  these  were  excavated,  and  found  to 
contain  a  large  number  of  relics,  such  as  sea  shells,  copper  axes, 
pipes,  hemispheres  of  copper,  arrow  heads,  pieces  of  galena, 
pieces  of  pottery,  pieces  of  mica,  stone  knives,  copper  imple- 
ments shaped  like  a  spool,  rondells,  showing  that  trepaning  had 
been  practiced.  Many  of  the  axes  had  been  wrapped  with  coarse 
cloth,  which  had  been  preserved  by  the  copper  Fig.  16.  The 
pipes  were  all  of  Mound-builders'  pattern;  some  of  them  were 
carved  with  effigies  of  birds  and  animals.  One  bird  has  eyes  of 
copper,  another  has  eyes  of  pearl,  showing  much  delicacy  of 
manipulation  and  skill  in  carving.  These  relics  excited  much 
interest  and  were  put  on  exhibition  before  the  American  Associa- 
tion for  the  Advancement  of  Science,  at  Detroit,  in  1875.     About 


44  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

twenty  copper  pipes  were  reported  at  that  time,  and  eleven  cop- 
per awls  and  a  large  number  of  bones.  They  were  said  to  have 
been  found  at  various  depths,  some  of  them  near  skeletons,  some 
near  altars,  some  in  ashes,  though  they  v/ere  all  from  the  same 
group  on  the  Cook  farm.  The  mounds  on  the  Cook  farm  were 
the  most  of  them  stratified.  All  of  them  contained  bodies  and 
ashes;  two  or  three  of  them  contained  altars  or  round  heaps  of 
stone,  but  with  no  relics  upon  the  altars.  Mound  No.  3  was  the 
one  in  which  the  tablets  were  discovered.  This  was  a  low  mound, 
about  three  feet  high  and  sixty  feet  in  diameter.  It  was  a  double 
mound  and  contained  two  graves  parallel  to  each  other,  three  or 
four  reet  apart,  six  feet  wide  and  nine  or  ten  leet  long. 

In  making  the  excavation  of  the  first  grave  the  party  found, 
near  the  surface,  two  human  skeletons,  which  were  modern  In- 
dians, and  with  them  modern  relics;  such  as  fire  steel,  a  common 
clay  pipe,  a  number  of  glass  beads,  a  silver  earring.  Below  these 
was  a  layer  of  river  shells  and  a  large  quantity  of  ashes,  which 


7^  ^^.it;  :^  7-  <S%7V.N.  T\^ 


Fig.  W. — Hieroglyphics  on  Tablets.* 

extended  two  feet  below  the  surface,  but  which  rested  upon  a 
stratum  of  earth  twelve  inches  in  depth,  under  which  was  a  second 
bed  of  shells.  At  the  depth  of  two  feet  below  the  second  shell 
bed,  53^  feet  below  the  summit,  three  skeletons  were  discovered, 
lying  in  a  horizontal  position  at  the  bottom.  With  the  skeletons 
were  five  copper  axes,  all  of  which  had  been  wrapped  in  cloth, 
a  number  of  small  red  stones,  arranged  in  the  form  of  a  star,  two 
carved  stone  pipes,  several  bear's  teeth,  two  pieces  of  galena,  one 
large  broken  pot,  a  lump  of  yellow  ochre,  one  arrow-head.  A 
child's  skeleton  was  discovered  between  the  two  large  ones,  near 
which  was  a  large  number  of  copper  beads. 

The  second  grave  was  not  opened  until  the  year  1877,  about 
two  years  after  the  first.  Mr.  Gass  was  attended  by  a  party  of 
seven  men,  two  of  whom  were  students.  They  found,  near  the 
surface,  modern  relics — a  few  glass  beads  and  fragments  of  a 
brass  ring;  also  a  layer  of  shells  twelve  or  fifteen  inches  thick; 
beneath  this  a  second  layer  five  or  six  inches  thick;  beneath  the 
second  layer  a  stratum  of  loose  black  soil  or  vegetable  mould, 
eighteen  or  twenty  inches  thick,  and  in  the  mould  fragments  of 
human  bones.  At  the  bottom  they  discovered  the  two  inscribed 
tablets,  lying  close  together  on  the  hard   clay,  five  and  one-half 

*The  word  TOWN  will  be  recognized  in  the  cut,  which  represents  the  charac- 
ters on  the  left  side  of  the  upper  arch  in  their  regular  order.  The  first  to  call  atten- 
tion to  this  word  was  Dr.  Farquharson,  the  President  of  this  Association,  though  at 
the  time  he  thought  that  the  finding  the  letters  was  a  pure  fancy.  The  word  has 
often  been  noticed  in  the  tablet,  and  has  always  worked  against  its  genuineness.  It 
has  been  intimated  that  the  Mormons  planted  these  tablets.  The  recent  find  at 
Wendon,  Illinois,  of  a  brass  plate  or  sounding  board  of  a  musical  instrument,  with 
similar  characters,  near  a  house  once  occupied  by  Mormons  confirms  this  conjecture 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON.  45 

feet  below  the  surface  of  the  mound;  both  were  encircled  by  a 
single  row  of  lime  stones.  About  two  and  one-half  feet  east 
were  a  copper  axe,  a  few  copper  beads,  fragments  of  pottery,  a 
piece  of  mica  and  a  number  of  bones.  These  were  found  at  a 
subsequent  exploration,  not  at  the  same  time  as  the  tablets. 

The  large  tablet  is  twelve  inches  long,  from  eight  to  ten  inche 
wide,  and  was  made  of  dark  coal  slate.  Fig.  22.  The  smaller 
tablet  was  about  square,  seven  inches  in  length,  and  had  holes 
bored  in  the  upper  corners,  and  is  called  the  calendar  stone,  as 
it  contained  twelve  signs  with  three  concentric  circles,  though 
the  siens  do  not  in  the  least  resemble  the  Mexican  or  Maya  cal- 
endars.  The  larger  tablet  contained  a  picture  on  either  side,  one 
representing  a  cremation  scene,  the  other  a  hunting  scene.  The 
cremation  scene  "suggests  human  sacrifices."  A  number  of 
bodies  are  represented  as  lying  upon  the  back,  and  the  fire  is 
burning  upon  the  summit  of  the  mound,  while  the  so-called 
Mound-builders  are  gathered  in  a  ring  around  the  mound.    Above 


5p  u^^.E^  ^,..a^  tTfOVJ 


tig.  21.— Characters  Duplicated  on  the  Sandstone  Tablet. 

the  cremation  scene  is  an  arch  formed  by  three  crescent  lines, 
representing  the  horizon,  and  in  the  crescent  and  above  it  are 
hieroglyphics,  some  of  which  resemble  the  common  figures  and 
numbers,  and  the  various  letters  of  the  alphabet;  there  are  ninty- 
eight  figures,  twenty-four  in  one,  twenty  in  the  other,  and  fifty- 
four  above  the  lines.  The  peculiar  features  of  this  picture 
are  these  :  A  rude  class  of  Mound-builders  are  practicing  hu- 
man sacrifice,  while  the  images  of  the  sun  and  moon  are  both  in 
the  sky,  one  containing  a  face,  the  other  circles  and  rays.  Above 
these  is  the  arch  of  the  heavens,  with  Roman  numerals  and 
Arabic  figures  scattered  through  and  above  it.  The  figure  eight 
is  repeated  three  times,  the  letter  O  repeated  seven  times.  With 
these  familiar  characters  are  ethers  which  resemble  letters  of 
ancient  alphabets,  either  Phoenician  or  Hebrew,  and  only  a  few 
characters  such  as  the  natives  generally  used. 

The  hunting  scene  is  the  one  which  is  supposed  to  contain  the 
mastodon.  In  this  picture  there  is  a  large  tree  which  occupies 
the  foreground,  beneath  the  tree  are  animals,  human  beings  and 
fishes  scattered  indiscriminately  about,  a  few  skeletons  of  trees 
in  the  back  ground.  One  of  the  human  figures  has  a  hat  on, 
which  resembles  a  modern  hat,  for  it  has  a  rim.  "Of  the  animal 
kingdom  thirty  individuals  are  represented,  divided  as  follows, 
viz:       Man,  eight:  bison,  four;  deer,  four;  birds,  three;  hares. 


46  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

three;  big  horn  or  Rocky  Mountain  goat,  one;  fish,  one;  prai- 
rie wolf,  one;  nondescript  animals,  three.  Of  these  latter  one 
defies  recognition,  but  the  other  two,  apparently  of  the  same 
species,  are  the  most  interesting  figures  of  the  whole  group. 
These  animals  are  supposed  by  different  critics  to  represent  the 
moose,  tapers  or  mastodons."  The  trunk  and  tusks  are  omitted 
from  this  animal,  and  even  the  shape  hardly  resembles  the  ele- 
phant, certainly  not  enough  to  prove  that  the  Tvlound-builders  . 
were  contemporaneous  with  the  mastodon,* 

The  third  discovery  is  the  one  the  most  relied  upon.  This 
discovery  was  also  made  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gass,  in  the  spring 
of  1880,  several  years  after  the  discovery  of  the  tablets.  Mr. 
Gass  was  accompanied  by  Rev.  Mr.  Bloomer.  A  group  of  ten 
mounds,  arranged  in  irregular  rows,  was  situated  along  the  bluffs 
overlooking  the  Mississippi  bottoms  west  of  Muscatine  Slough. 
The  first  mound  opened  proved  to  be  a  sacrificial  or  cremation 
mound,  situated  on  the  extreme  edge  of  a  prominent  bluff,  having 
ravines  on  both  sides.  It  was  a  flat  cone,  thirty  feet  in  diameter, 
elevation  three  feet.  Near  the  surface  was  a  layer  of  hard  clay, 
eighteen  inches  thick;  below  this  a  layer  of  burned  red  clay,  as 
hard  as  brick,  one  foot  thick;  under  this  a  bed  of  ashes,  thirteen 
inches  deep.  In  the  ashes  were  found  a  portion  of  a  carved 
stone  pipe,  bird  form,  by  Mr.  H.  Haas;  a  very  small  copper  axe 
by  Mr.  Gass ;  a  carved  stone  pipe,  entire,  representing  an  ele- 
phant, which,  Mr.  Bloomer  says,  "was  first  discovered  by  myself." 
The  other  mounds  of  the  group  were  explored,  and  contained 
ashes  and  bones,  but  no  relics.  Mr.  Gass  makes  no  report  of 
finding  the  elephant  pipe,  but  leaves  that  to  Mr.  Bloomer.  During 
the  same  year  he  discovered,  in  the  mounds  in  Mercer  County, 
Illinois,  several  Mound-builders'  pipes — one  representing  a  lizard, 
one  a  turtle,  another  a  snake  coiled  around  an  upright  cylinder 
and  covered  with  some  very  thin  metallic  coating.  Mounds  on 
the  Illlinois  side,  near  Moline,  and  Copper  Creek  and  Pine  Creek, 
had  previously  yielded  to  Mr.  Gass  carved  stone  pipes,  one  of 
them  representing  a  porcupine,  anothera  howling  wolf  The  pipes 
were  composed  of  some  dark-colored  slate  or  variety  of  talc, 
thus  showing  that  the  Mound-builders  of  the  region  were  in  the 
habit  of  imitating  the  animals  which  they  saw,  making  effigies 
of  them  on  their  pipes.  The  account  of  finding  this  elephant  is 
written  in  a  very  straightforward  manner ;  nothing  about  it  shows 
any  intention  to  deceive. 

♦Another  tablet  was  found  by  Mr.  Charles  Harrison  in  1878,  who  is  president  of  the 
society,  in  mound  No.  11  of  the  some  group.  In  the  mound  was  a  pile  of  stones  two 
and  one-half  by  three  feet  in  size,  which  might  be  called  an  altar,  about  three  feet 
below  the  surface;  the  slab  fourteen  inches  square,  and  beneath  the  slab  was  a  vault, 
and  in  the  vault  was  the  tablet,  with  four  flint  arrows  on  the  tablet;  a  shell  and  a 
Quartz  crystal.  The  figures  on  this  tablet  were  a  circle  which  represented  the  sun,  a 
crescent  representing  the  moon,  and  a  human  .figure  astride  the  circle,  colored 
brieht  ochre  red,  all  of  them  very  rudely  drawn.  The  figure  is  supposed  to  represent 
the  sun  god  The  figure  eight  and  other  hieoglyphics  are  upon  this  tablet.  Above 
the  hieroglyphics  was  a  bird  and  an  animal,  and  between  them  a  copper  axe.  This 
tablet  is  as  curious  as  the  one  discovered  by  Mr.  Gass. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  MASTODON. 


The  fourth  discovery  consisted  of  a  carved  stone  pipe,  also  in 
the  shape  of  an  elephant  or  mastodon.  This  pipe  was  picked  up 
in  a  cornfield  by  a  German  farmer  named  Mare,  who  gave  it  away 
and  afterwards  moved  to  Kansas.  The  pipe  came  into  the  hands 
of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gass,  was  purchased  by  the  Davenport  Academy 
and   is   now   in    their  museum.      Both  pipes   have   the  general 

Mound-builder 
shape,  —  a  curved 
base.  Both  pipes 
are  alike  in  that 
they  represent  the 
animal  with  a  pro- 
boscis, but  with  no 
tusks.  The  reason 
for  this  may  have 
been  that  it  was 
difficultto  carve  the 
tusks  out  of  stone; 
if  they  had  been  so 
carved  they  were  li- 
able to  break.  They 

Fig.  23.— Map  of  the  Mounds  on  the  Cook  Farm.  are     alike    also     in 

representing  the  eye  and  ear,  mouth,  tail,  legs  and  feet  of  the 
animal  in  a  very  natural  way.  The  main  difference  between  them 
is  that  one  has  the  trunk  stretched  out  in  front,  and  the  back 
curved  upward,  and  a  heavy  body.  The  other  represents  the 
proboscis  curved  inward,  toward  the  legs;  the  back  is  straight 
and  the  body  slim.  Both  have  the  bowl  of  the  pipe  between 
the  fore-legs,  which  are  brought  out  in  relief  from  the  cylinder 
on  the  sides  of  the  bowl;  the 
hole  for  smoking  is  at  the 
rear  of  the  animal.  The  pipes 
show  much  more  familiarity 
with  the  mastodon  than  do 
the  effigies.  They  represent 
the  trunk  as  nearly  twice  as 
long  as  the  fore-legs.     These 


Scalt-i'-toO- 


zitttt. 


Fig.  23— Altar  Containing  Sandstone  Tablet. 


pipes  have  been  discredited  by  certain  writers,  especially  by  Mr. 
W.  H.  Henshaw,  of  the  Ethnological  Bureau,  but  they  have  been 
defended  by  Mr.  Charles  Putnam,  the  president  of  the  Davenport 
Academy,  and  are  endorsed  by  the  members  of  the  Academy  at 
the  present  time.*     In  favor  of  the  genuineness  of  the  pipes,  we 

*The  evidence  in  their  favor  is  certainly  as  reliable  as  that  which  has  reference  to 
the  rude  stone  relics  which  have  been  described  in  Wright's  Ice  Age.  Several  per- 
sons were  engaged  in  exploring  and  giving  testimony  in  relerence  to  the  find.  In  the 
case  of  the  stone  relics  taken  from  the  railroad  cut.  we  have  the  testimony  of  only 
one  man  who  was  exploring  .  Mr.  H  T.  Cresson's  testimony  is  taken,  while  in  this 
case  the  testimony  of  several  men  seems  to  be  doubted.  See  "Ice  Age,  by  b.  Cr. 
Wright.  See  Discussion  of  H.  T.  Cresson's  Pile-dwellings,  American  Antiquarian, 
Vol.  XII.  page  184.  Discussion  over  elephant  pipes  by  Mr.  W.  H.  Henshaw.  Report 
of  Ethnological  Bureau,  second  .annual  report,  1880-81.  Davenport  Academy  report 
Vol.  IV,  page  256,  article  by  Chas.  E.  Putnam. 


48 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


may  say  that  during  the  same  year  of  the  discovery  of  the  ele- 
phant pipe,  the  bones  and  tusks  of  an  elephant  were  found  in 
Washington  County,  la.,  and  were  reported  in  the  Proceedings 
of  the  Davenport  Academy.  These  bones  were  about  six  feet 
below    the  surface,  in  the  black   mud   sediment   and  vegetable 

mould.  They  seem  to  have 
been  quite  a  recent  deposit, 
and  the  elephant  or  masto- 
don which  was  buried  here 
may  have  been  the  very  one 
which  was  represented  in 
the  pipe. 

In  this  connection  we 
would  speak  of  the  loca- 
tion of  the  mounds  which 
contain  the  pipes  and  the 
tablets.  It  is  the  general 
opinion  that  those  mounds 
Fig.  2u.— Davenport  Tablet.  which  were  erected  on  the 

upper  terraces  were  the  older,  that  those  upon  the  lowland  were 
the  later.  Some  writers  have  maintained  that  the  first  class  were 
erected  when  the  water  filled  the  entire  valleys  and  covered  the 
first  terrace.  If  that  were  the  case,  then  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders  must  have  been  acquainted  with  the  mastodon  and  other 
animals  of  that  class.  The  mound  which  contained  the  elephant 
pipe  was  situated  upon  the  bluffs  far  above  the  plain.  This  is 
significant.  It  may  be  that  the  elephant  pipe  was  deposited  in 
this  mound  on  the  bluff  at  a  time  when  Muscatine  Slough  and 
Meredosia  Slough  were  lakes,  whose  waters  flowed  near  the  bluffs 
— a  time  when  the  mastodon  was  common. 


LIBERTY     TOWN  SHI  P.  ROSS     CODNTV. 

OHIO 

(Eijhl    MilfS    sr.  of  ChMlicolhe) 

"     SC  Xftt*-   and    S    H   Oarit    St^'ejf"") 
^00  ri  u  Ar    h>rti 


VILLAGE  ENCLOSURE  ON  THE  SCIOTO. 


5f 


O 
« 
Eh 

n 
< 

D 

IZi 

H 

n 

!2i 


THE  MOUXD-BUILDERS  AND  THE  INDIANS. 


49 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  INDIANS. 

We  now  come  to  the  question  of  the  relation  of  the  Mound- 
builders  to  the  modern  Indians.  There  has  been  a  great  difference 
of  opinion  on  this  subject,  but  it  would  seem  as  if  archaeologists 
were  coming  nearer  to  one  another  and  agreeing  that  the  Indians 
at  one  time  built  mounds,  but  most  of  them  acknowledging  that 
there  was  a  difference  between  the  two  classes. 

I.  The  appearance  ol  the  buffalo  within  the  bounds  of  the 
Mound-builders'  territory  is  the  first  point  which  we  are  to  con- 
sider. The  buffalo  seems  to  have  extended  its  range  beyond 
the  Mississippi  River.  The  nomadic  savages  had  a  habit  of 
setting  fire  to  the  prairies.  The  flame  swept  into  the  eastern 
forests,  bringing  the  open  prairie  into  the  midst  of  the  Mound- 
builders'  works,  and  reaching  almost  to  the  Ohio  and  the  Alle- 
gheny Rivers.  The  hunters  followed  the  buffalo  to  the  eastern 
ranges.  This  will  account  for  the  disappearance  of  the  JMound- 
builders.  Still,  we  are  to  bear  in  mind  that  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders,  those  who   dwelt 


jl^^!:t^ 


\'^^'^ia,i^.\\^W^\-' 


in  the  fortified  villages  and 
who  were  the  sun  worship- 
ers, were  not  acquainted 
with  the  buffalo;  at  least 
they  had  no  buffalo  pipes. 
There  was,  however,  a  race 
of  mound-building  Indians 
subsequent  to  them,  who 
were  hunters  and  effigy- 
builders,  and  were  acquaint- 
ed with  the  buffalo.     Our 

proof  of  this  is  as    follows:   ^'ff-l-SujiraloandBearnearI>rairieduChien. 

I.  The  effigies  of  the  buffalo  are  found  in  Wisconsin.  This  will 
be  seen  from  reference  to  the  cut  See  Fig.  i.  The  effigy  of  the 
buffalo  has  been  seen  in  many  places — at  Beloit,  Madison,  and 
at  Green  Lake.  Inscriptions  of  the  buffalo  are  found  in  the 
picture  cave  at  West  Salem.  2.  Shoulder  bones  of  the  buffalo, 
according  to  Squier  and  Davis,  were  found  in  Ohio,  but  at  the 
summit  ot  the  mound  and  associated  with  modern  Indian  relics. 
3.  The  bones  of  the  buffalo,  according  to  Mr.  McAdanis.  were 
found  in  the  depths  of  the  pyramid  mounds  not  far  from  Alton, 
Illinois.     4.  The  bones  of  the  buffalo  were  found  among  the  ash 


50  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

heaps  near   Madisonville,  Ohio.     5.  Efifigies  of  the  buffalo,  ac- 
cording to  T.  H.  Lewis,  have  been  recognized  in  the  standing 
stones  of  Dakota.*     6.  Traditions  of  the  buffalo  were  prevalent 
amono-  the  Chickasaws  and  the  Choctaws  of  the   Gulf  States. 
Traditions  of  an  animal  with  an  arm   extending   from  the  fore- 
shoulder,  according  to  Charlevoix,  were  prevalent  among  the 
Indians   of  Canada.      These  discoveries  and  traditions  are  im- 
portant, for  they  show  that  the  mastodon  and  buffalo  were  con- 
temporaneous with  the   Mound-builders,  though  the  mastodon 
may  have  been  known  to  one  class  and  the  buffalo  to  another. 
It  is  very  uncertain  just  how  early  these  Mound-builders  lived. 
There  are  some  indications  that  they  were  quite  ancient.     7.  When 
Ferdinand  De  Soto  and  his  party  landed  in  Florida  they  were 
surprised  by  the  sight  of  the  horns  and  head  of  a  buffalo,  an 
animal  they  had  never  seen  before.     This  was  in  the  hands  of 
the  Florida  Indians.     They  afterwards  became  familiar  with  the 
buffalo  robes  or  skins  used  by  the  Southern  Indians.    It  appears, 
then,  that  at  least  350  years  ago  the  buffalo  was  known  as  far 
east  as  Florida.     8.  According  to  Marquette,  the  buffalo  roamed 
as  iar  east  as  the  prairies  of  Illinois  in  the  year  1680,  but  we  can 
not  fix   upon  the  date  when  the  buffalo  effigies  were  erected. 
Buffalo  bones  were  found  at  the  bottom  of  the  mounds  on  the 
Great  American  bottom,  south  of  the  locality  where  the  masto- 
don pipes  were  discovered.     This  would  indicate  that  the  buffalo 
and  mastodon  were  contemporaneous  and  that  the  Mound-builders 
were  acquainted  with  both  animals,  and  that  the  Mound-builders' 
acre  extended  from  the  time  of  the  mastodon  to  that  of  the  buffalo. 
II.  We  would  next  refer  to  the  evidence  as  to  the  succession  of 
races.     The  works  on  the  North  Fork  of  Paint  Creek,  on  the 
Hopewell   farm,   illustrate  this.     Here  is  a  group  of  mounds, 
which  has  been  explored  by  Warren   K.  Moorehead,  under  the 
auspices  of  the  World's  Fair.     Some  remarkable  relics  have  been 
taken  out.     One  mound  was  very  large,  500  feet  long,  190  feet 
broad,  24  feet  high.      Near  the  top  of  this  mound  were  stone 
effigies,  resembling  those  in   Dakota.      At  the  bottom  of  the 
mound  were  a   number  of  skeletons,  lying  upon  the   base  line. 
The  ground  had  been  burned  hard,  and  the  earth  above  this  was 
interstratified  with  sand  and  gravel.     The  skeletons  were  found 
in  dome-shaped  cavities,  four  or  five  feet  in  height.     One  skeleton 
was  called  the  king;  there   were   wooden   horns  at  his  head,  in 
imitation  of  antlers;  thin  sheets  of  copper  covered  the  wood. 


*The  standing  stones  and  the  bone  paths  may  have  been  the  work  of  the  Dakota 
Indians.  Mr.  MeAdams  lias  placed  a  plaster  cast  of  a  buffalo  pipe  in  the  museum  at 
Springfield,  111.  It  is  uncertain  whether  the  cast  is  of  a  genuine  pipe.  If  so,  it  would 
prove  that  the  pipe-makers  with  both  animals,  the  mastodon  and  the  bufl'alo.  See 
Discovery  of  Mastodon  Bones,  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  I,  p.  5-1.  First  Discovery 
of  Pipe,  Ibid.,  Vol.  II,  p.  68  Inscriptions  in  Cave,  Ibid.,  Vol.  VI,  p.  16  and  122.  Bone 
Paths,  Ibid.,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  153.  Animals  Known,  Ibid.,  Vol.  IX,  pp.  153  and  57.  See 
Emblematic  Mounds,  pp.  274,9, 163,  217.  The  following  are  the  localities:  Beloit,  Rock 
County;  Blue  Mounds,  Grant  County;  Butler's  Quarries.  Green  Lake  County;  Buffa- 
lo Lake,  Adams  County;  Prairie  du  Chien,  Crawford  County;  Madison,  Dane  Co. 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  INDIANS. 


51 


The  horns  were  attached  to  a  helmet-shaped  head-dress  or  mask, 
which  reached  from  the  upper  jaw  to  the  occupit  ol  the  skull. 
Pearl  beads,  shell  beads,  bear  teeth,  bear  and  eagle  claws,  copper 
spools,  copper  discs,  covered  the  chest  and  abdomen.  A  large 
platform  pipe,  an  agate  spear-head,  four  copper  plates,  canes 
from  the  south  covered  with  copper  were  at  the  sides  and  back. 
In  the  same  mound  were  several  skeletons,  covered  with  a 
large  quantity  of  copper,  and  adorned  with  most  intricate  and 
beautiful  designs.  These  are  classified  into  anklets,  bracelets 
and  wristlets,  and  ornaments  for  various  parts  of  the  body.  The 
bracelets  were  solid  throughout,  and  formed  by  bending  a 
tapering  bar  of  copper  into  a  circle.     There  were  four  circular 


Fig.  t.— Works  at  Hopeton. 

discs,  joined  in  pairs  by  a  thick  stem  of  copper,  and  four  other 
discs,  joined  by  pivots,  and  richly  ornamented  with  repousse 
work.  There  were  thin  plates,  cut  in  the  form  of  fishes;  others 
into  diamond  forms,  with  geometrical  figures  inside  the  rings. 
Most  curious  of  the  whole  collection  are  two  pieces  of  copper 
representing  the  Suasttka, — the  only  one  that  has  been  found 
north  of  the  Ohio  River.  Beside  these,  was  a  flat  piece  of  copper 
that  had  thin  pieces  of  cane  inside,  evidently  intended  to  be  worn 
on  the  wrist  as  a  protection  from  the  bow.  Many  of  the  pieces 
have  attached  to  them  a  curious  texture,  resembling  matting,  made 
out  of  wood  fibre;  while  several  were  plated  with  silver,  gold 
and  meteoric  iron.  One  piece  was  evidently  a  cap  for  the  crown 
of  the  head,  and  had  an  aperture  through  which  the  scalp-lock 
could  protrude,  or  to  which  feathers  could  be  attached.  There 
were  also  with  them  pieces  representing  birds  and  animals,  and 


52  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

Others,  curiously  pronged,  which  were  evidently  used  for  combs. 
The  five  skeletons  were  also  found  lying  side  by  side, — two  of 
which  were  covered  with  a  layer  of  copper,  six  by  eight  feet. 
The  copper  had  been  worked  into  many  forms.  There  were 
sixty-six  copper  belts,  ranging  in  size  from  one  and  one  half 
inches  to  twenty-two  and  one  half  inches  in  length.  A  large 
thick  copper  ax  weighed  forty-one  pounds.  This  exceeds  any 
specimen  ever  found  in  the  United  States.  There  were  traces  of 
gold  on  it.  The  cutting  edge  is  seven  inches  broad  and  is  very 
sharp.  A  number  of  smaller  copper  axes  attended  this.  Thirty 
copper  plates,  with  Mound-builders'  cloth  on  them,  overlapped 
the  axes.  The  average  size  of  the  plates  was  ten  by  six  inches. 
A  great  copper  eagle,  twenty  inches  in  diameter,  wings  out- 
spread, beak  open,  tail  and  wing  feathers  neatly  stamped  upon 
the  copper  surface,  etc.,  covered  the  knees  of  one  of  the  skele- 
tons. This  is  one  of  the  most  artistic  designs  ever  found  in  cop- 
per. Remains  of  a  copper  stool,  about  a  foot  in  length  and  several 
inches  in  height,  lay  near  one  of  the  skeletons.  The  stool  was 
made  out  of  wood,  and  had  been  covered  with  sheet  copper. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  late  tribes  in  their  rudeness,  but 
preceding  these  tribes  we  find  a  certain  barbaric  magnificence 
that  might  be  compared  to  that  of  the  early  in  habitants  of  Great 
Britain, — the  symbols  of  sun-worship  wrought  into  copper  and 
placed  upon  the  bodies.  We  have  no  doubt  that  the  persons 
who  were  buried  here,  and  who  carried  such  massive  axes  and 
wore  such  heavy  helmets  and  elaborate  coats  of  mail,  were  an- 
cient sun-worshipers,  differing  entirely  from  the  later  Indians. 

The  evidence  of  a  succession  of  races  'is  given  elsewhere. 
The  writer  has  explored  the  mounds  scattered  along  the  Mis- 
sissippi River  from  the  state  line  on  the  north  to  Alton  on  the 
south,  and  has  found  several  classes  of  works  in  this  district. 
They  are  as  follows:  i.  In  the  north,  the  effigies  of  Wisconsin 
passed  over  the  borders,  makmg  one  class.  2.  Below  these 
ate  the  burial  mounds  at  Albany,  Moline  and  Rock  Island,  which 
were  explored  by  the  members  of  the  Davenport  Academy. 
These  were  mainly  unstratified,  some  of  which  contained  relics, 
such  as  carved  pipes,  red  ochre,  lumps  of  galena,  sheets  of  mica 
and  fragments  of  pottery.  3.  Farther  south,  near  Quincy,  the 
Mound-builders  buried  their  dead  without  depositing  relics.  The 
mounds  are  not  stratified;  neither  do  they  contain  relics.  4.  The 
fourth  class  is  that  which  has  been  very  frequently  described, 
consisting  of  the  pyramids,  of  which  Cahokia  is  a  good  speci- 
men. 5.  The  fifth  class  is  that  marked  by  the  stone  graves. 
These  extend  from  the  mouth  of  the  Illinois  River  to  the  state 
line  at  Cairo.  What  is  remarkable  about  the  Illinois  mounds  is 
that  in  every  locality  there  seems  to  have  been  a  large  number 
of  tribes,  some  of  which  were  earlier  and  some  later. 

The  relics  which  are  in  the  Davenport  Academy  are  for  the 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  INDIANS. 


53 


most  part  from  the  Iowa  side,  and  are  unlike  the  majority  of 
those  from  the  Illinois  side,  though  there  are  localities  in  Illinois 
where  similar  relics  are  discovered.  The  contrast  between  the 
mounds  at  Davenport  and  others  is  seen  in  the  cut  Fig.  3  The 
lower  part  represents  a  mound  in  Illinois,  the  upper  a  mound  in 
Iowa.  These  mounds  are  stratified,  have  layers  of  stones  at 
intervals,  the  altars  are  pillars  or  piles  of  stones  and  have  the 
bodies  by  the  side.  No  such  altars  are  found  in  any  other  mounds. 
The  symbolism,  however,  is  similar  to  that  found  in  Ohio.  It 
was  the  symbolism  of  the  sun-worshipers,  and  it  contained  the 
crescent   and  circle.     Fig.  3, 


r=a 


S^^ii^^i^ 


SJuHt 


Atltt 


.^ 


oga 


No.  9.  This  shows  that  the 
Davenport  Mound -builders 
should  be  classed  with  the 
sun-worshipers  of  Ohio,  that 
the  pipe-makers  of  this  re- 
gion were  the  same  people  as 
the  pipe-makers  of  that  State, 
and  were  older  than  the  other 
Mound-builders. 

III.  The  difference  appar- 
ent in  the  antiquity  of  the 
mounds  is  the  chief  evidence. 
It  was  noticed  by  Messrs. 
Squier  and  Davis  that  many 
ot  the  earth-works  when  first 
discovered  were  dilapidated, 
especially  those  upon  the  sum- 
mits of  the  hills  and  the  banks 
of  the  rivers.  The  streams 
had  encroached  upon  the  ter- 
races and  had  broken  down 
the  walls  of  the  villages.  In 
one  case,  at  the  crossings  of 
Paint  Creek,  the  stream  had 
overflowed  the  terrace  and 
had  made  a  passage-way  for  itself  through  a  village  enclosure, 
leaving  part  of  the  wall  upon  one  side  and  part  on  the  other.  In 
another  case  the  large  circle  had  been  encroached  upon,  and  the 
terrace  near  which,  at  one  time,  was  the  bed  of  Paint  Creek  was 
broken  down,  leaving  the  wall  of  the  enclosure ;  but  the  creek 
now  runs  more  than  a  mile  away.  See  Fig.  4.  The  same  is 
true  of  the  circle  upon  the  North  Fork.  See  Fig.  5.  The  en- 
closure near  Dayton  also  illustrates  this.  This  was  situated  in 
the  valley  of  the  Miami  on  land  which  is  even  now  at  times  over- 
flowed. It  was  overlooked  by  the  great  mound  at  Miamisburg 
and  had  evidently  been  occupied.  Some  maintain  that  the 
works  had  never  been  finished,  but  their  condition  is  owing  to 


I'ig.  3.— Stratified  Mounds  near  Davenport. 


54 


PREHISTOBIC  MONUMENTS. 


the  wear  of  the  stream.  The  works  at  Portsmouth  had  suffered 
the  same  destruction.  The  Scioto  had  changed  its  channel,  had 
encroached  upon  the  eastern  terrace  and  had  destroyed  a  portion 
of  the  covered  way.  At  Piketon  the  stream  had  withdrawn  from 
the  terrace  and  had  left  an  old  channel,  with  ponds  full  of  water, 
near  the  foot  of  the  covered  way,  but  is  now  flowing  in  a  new 
channel  half  a  mile  from  the  covered  way.  The  graded  way 
which  ended  with  the  terrace  was  1050  feet  long  and  215  feet 
wide.  It  may,  at  one  time,  have  been  used  as  a  canoe  landing 
or  levee,  for  the  village  was  on  the  summit  of  the  terrace;  but 
the  villao-e  is  gone  and  many  of  the  works  have  disappeared. 

The  enclosures  at  Hopeton  are  better  preserved,  but  the  walls 
of  the  covered  way,  which  are  nearly  half  a  mile  in  length,  ter- 
minate at  the  edge  of  the 
terrace,  at  the  foot  of 
which  it  is  evident  the 
river  once  had  its  course, 
but  between  which  and 
the  present  bed  of  the 
stream  a  broad  and  fer- 
tile bottom  now  inter- 
venes This  covered 
way  may  have  been  de- 
signed as  a  passage-way 
to  Monnd  City,  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the 
river.  See  map.  The 
graded  way  at  Marietta  ends  with  the  terrace,  but  there  is  now 
an  interval  of  700  feet  between  the  end  of  the  way  and  the  river 
bank.  These  changes  indicate  great  antiquity  in  the  works  of 
Southern  Ohio.  The  same  is  true  of  the  southern  works.  There 
are  old  river  beds  near  the  pyramids  of  Georgia,  according  to 
Professor  Eugene  Smith.  This  is  true  also  of  the  mounds  at 
Mason's  plantation.  The  Savannah  River  has  encroached  upon 
the  largest  tumulus  and  "  performed  what  it  would  have  taken 
long  days  to  accomplish."  The  layer  of  charcoal,  ashes,  shells, 
fragments  of  pottery  and  bones,  can  be  traced  along  the  water 
front  of  the  mounds,  showing  its  construction.  These  are  two 
feet  below  the  surface ;  the  superincumbent  mass  seems  to  have 
been  heaped  up  to  the  height  of  thirty-seven  feet  above  the  plain 
and  forty-seven  feet  above  the  water  line. 

The  age  of  the  trees  growing  upon  the  earth-works  is  to  be 
noticed  here.  The  forts  of  Southern  Ohio  when  discovered  were 
generally  covered  with  forests,  and  trees  of  large  size  were  found 
upon  the  very  summits  of  the  walls.     Some  of  them  when  cut 

*This  Is  situated  on  the  Scioto  River,  one  mile  south  of  Chillicothe.  A  portion 
of  the  square  has  been  spoiled  by  the  Invasion  of  the  river.  The  large  circle  has 
also  been  encroached  upon.  The  low  bottom  at  the  base  of  the  terrace  was  evident- 
ly at  one  time  the  bed  of  Paint  Creek,  but  has  since  changed  its  channel. 


lOOO  Fi  to  Inch 


Fig.  U.— Circle  and  Square  near  Chillicothe* 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  INDIANS. 


55 


down  showed  four  or  five  hundred  rings,  thus  indicating  that  at 
least  five  hundred  years  had  elapsed  since  the  fort  had  been 
abandoned.  Such  was  the  case  with  the  old  fort  at  Newark.  Mr. 
Isaac  Smucker  says  the  trees  were  growing  upon  its  banks  all 
around  the  circle,  some  of  them  ten  feet  in  circumference.  In 
1815  a  tree  was  cut  down  which  showed  that  it  had  attained  the 
age  of  550  years.  Squier  and  Davis  speak  of  the  fort  in  High- 
land County.  They  say  that  "the  area  was  covered  with  a 
heavy  primitive  forest  of  gigantic  trees.  An  oak  stood  on  the 
wall,  now  fallen  and  much  decayed,  which  measured  twenty-three 
feet  in  circumference.  All  around  are  scattered  the  trunks  01 
immense  trees  in  every 
stage  of  decay.  The  en- 
tire fort  presented  the 
appearance  oi  the  great- 
est antiquity." 

IV.  The  contents  of  the 
mounds  are  instructive. 
It  is  remarkable  that 
no  buffalo  pipes  have  so 
far  been  found  in  the 
mounds,  though  ele- 
phant pipes  have  been. 
We  imagine  the  pipe- 
makers  were  earlier  than 
the  effigy-builders,  for 
the  pipes  are  found  in 
are  seldom  found  upon 


Fig.  5  —Circle  and  Square  near  ChilUcothe.* 


the  lowest  strata  of  the  mounds  and 
the  surface;  while  the  buffalo  bones 
are  often  found  near  the  summits  of  the  mounds,  and  were  very 
common  upon  the  surface.  Parhs  were  made  of  the  shoulder 
bones  of  bufifalos  in  Dakota.  Agricultural  tools  made  from  the 
bones  of  the  buffalo  were  found  in  Ohio.  These  facts  show  that 
the  range  of  the  buffalo  was  formerly  farther  east.  The  indica- 
tions are  that  the  mastodon  was  known  to  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders  and  the  buffalo  to  the  later,  and  that  the  Mound-builders' 
age  extended  from  the  time  of  the  mastodon  to  the  time  of  the 
buffalo,  and  was  prolonged  through  many  centuries. 

The  mounds  of  habitation  are  found  in  the  north  and  south- 
east part  of  Vincennes.  The  north  mound  has  a  height  of  36 
feet,  "a  circumference  of  847  feet,  and  is   attended  by  another  25 


*This  work  is  situatfid  on  the  left  bank  of  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek,  10  miles 
from  ChilUcothe.  A  portion  of  the  large  circle  has  been  encroached  upon  and  de- 
stroyed by  the  creek,  which  has  since  receeded  something  over  a  fifth  of  a  mile. 
There  was  formerly  a  Shawnee  town  near  this  work.  Indian  graves  are  marked  on 
the  plan.  From  these  relics  have  been  taken— gun-barrels,  copper  kettles,  silver 
cross  and  brooches,  and  many  other  ornaments  which  the  Indians  were  accustomed 
to  burv  with  the  dead.  The  ancient  works  at  Piketon,  at  Cedar  Banks,  and  at 
High  Banks  have  also  been  encroached  upon  by  the  river.  See  section  map  of 
twelve  miles  ot  the  Scioto  Valley.  The  works  at  Piketon  illustiates  the  same  fact. 
The  works  are  destroyed  by  the  wasting  of  the  bank.  The  river  now  runs  at  a  dis- 
tance Its  ancient  bed  is  distinctly  to  be  seen  at  the  base  of  the  terrace.  See  maps 
on  pp.  17, 18,  115  and  189;  also  cuts  on  pp.  94, 154,  240  and  264. 


56  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

feet  high  and  40  feet  in  circumference.  Prof.  Collett  speaks  of 
one  mound  which  he  calls  a  temple  mound,  and  says  that  the 
temple  had  two  stories.  In  other  words,  it  was  a  terraced  mound. 
We  have  elsewhere  expressed  the  opmion  that  this  group  at 
Vincennes,  as  well  as  that  near  Evansville,  belongs  to  the  same 
class  with  the  Cahokia  mounds  and  may  well  be  called  terraced 
pyramids  or  terraced  platform  mounds.  They  constitute  temple 
mounds  of  a  peculiar  type.  They  are  generally  grouped  in  such 
a  way  that  the  terraced  mound  is  in  the  center.  These  pyra- 
mid mounds  were  evidently  devoted  to  sun  worship,  though  it  is 
uncertain  whether  their  summits  were  occupied  by  temples  or 
by  houses  of  the  chiefs.  If  we  take  the  descriptions  given  by 
the  early  explorers,  we  should  say  that  the  terraced  pyramids 
were  perhaps  the  residences  of  the  chiefs  and  that  they  were 
guarded  by  warriors  who  were  stationed  upon  the  terraces,  the 
conical  mounds  in  the  vicinity  being  the  place  where  the  temple 
was  located.  This,  however,  takes  us  into  a  new  field.  A  de- 
scription of  the  pyramids  has  been  given  elsewhere.  We  only 
refer  to  them  here  as  exhibiting  a  race  of  sun  worshipers,  who 
were  followed  by  a  race  of  hunters. 

The  mounds  in  the  State  of  Illinois  were  built  by  a  different 
class  of  people  ;  many  of  them  contained  in  the  stratification 
the  records  of  different  periods.  This  was  especially  the  case 
with  the  burial  mounds.  There  are  many  burial  mounds  which 
have  bodies  at  different  depths;  some  of  the  bodies  having  been 
deposited  by  later  tribes  and  some  by  earlier.  Those  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  mounds  are  generally  badly  decayed  and  show  signs 
of  age.  We  find  an  illustration  among  the  burial  mounds.  The 
pyramid  at  Beardstown,  Illinois,  is  to  be  noticed.  This  seems  to 
have  been  a  very  old  structure,  but  was  occupied  at  recent  date. 
It  was  30  feet  high,  150  feet  in  diameter,  and  stood  immediately 
upon  the  bank  of  the  river  on  land  which  was  surrounded  by  a 
slough  and  which  was  in  reality  an  island.  This  island,  on  ac- 
count of  its  favorable  position,  had  been  for  centuries  a  camping 
ground  of  the  aborigines.  It  was  excavated  by  the  city  author- 
ities and  found  to.  contain  upon  its  summit  shallow  graves  with 
skeletons  of  recent  Indians,  buried  with  implements  of  iron  and 
stone  and  ornaments  of  glass  and  brass.  A  little  deeper  remains 
of  Europeans,  perhaps  followers  of  La  Salle  and  Tonty;  a  silver 
cross  was  grasped  by  the  skeleton  hand  and  Venetian  beads  en- 
circled the  skeleton  waist  of  a  former  missionary,  a  disciple  of 
Loyola,  v/ho  had  probably  made  his  grave  in  this  distant  wilder- 
ness. These  were  intrusive  burials.  At  the  bottonof  this  mound, 
on  the  original  sand  surface,  there  was  found  a  series  of  stone 
graves  or  crypts,  formed  by  planting  flat  stones  in  the  sand  and 
covering  them  with  other  flat  stones.  These  tombs  or  rude  cists 
were  empty.  So  great  was  the  lapse  of  time  that  the  bodies  had 
entirely  decayed,  not  a  vestige  remained.     The  mound  when  fin- 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS  AND  THE  INDIANS.  57 

ished  formed  an  elevated  platform,  from  whose  summit  was  an 
uninterrupted  view  of  the  distant  bluffs  on  both  sides  of  the  river 
for  two  or  three  miles  above  and  below.  A  nest  of  broad  horn 
stone  discs  was  discovered  buried  in  the  sand  a  short  distance 
above  this  mound.  The  nest  was  composed  of  five  layers  of 
flints,  about  looo  in  all.  They  were  embedded  in  the  bank  of 
the  river,  but  above  the  reach  of  the  highest  water,  four  feet  be- 
low the  surface.  They  had  been  placed  in  an  ovoid  heap  or 
altar,  overlapped  each  other  as  shingles  on  a  roof.  The  length 
of  the  ovoid  was  six  feet  and  the  width  four  feet.  The  relics 
had  an  average  length  of  six  inches,  width  four  inches;  their 
shape  was  also  ovoid.  They  were  discolored  with  a  concretion 
which  showed  undisturbed  repose  in  the  clay,  enveloped  for  a 
great  period  of  time.  It  is  supposed  that  they  were  originally 
brought  from.  Flint  Ridge.  They  resembled  the  flint  discs  found 
in  the  Clark's  works  of  Ohio;  similar  nests  have  been  found 
near  St.  Louis,  Cassville,  on  the  Illinois  river;  several  places  on 
the  Scioto  river.  The  most  rational  theory  in  reference  to  the 
discs,  is  that  they  were  deposited  in  obedience  to  a  superstition 
or  religious  idea,  which  was  perhaps  related  to  a  water  cult.  Dr. 
Snyder  mentions  a  deposit  of  3500,  near  Frederickss^fe,  in 
Schuyler  County,  also  on  the  Illinois  river.  Dr.  Charles  Rau 
described  a  deposit  of  horn  stone  discs,  circular  in  shape,  near 
Kaskaskia  river,  and  another  deposit  of  agricultural  flint  imple- 
ments near  East  St.  Louis.  W.  K.  Morehead  mentions  a  de- 
posit of  7300  discs  discovered  in  a  mound  near  Clark's  works 
in  Ohio.  These  discs  seem  to  connect  the  Mound-builders  of 
the  Illinois  river  with  those  of  the  Scioto,  and  convey  the  idea 
that  the  pyramids  and  the  sacred  enclosures  were  built  at  the 
same  time. 

Another  mound  of  this  class  was  found  at  Mitchell's  Station, 
on  the  Chicago  and  Alton  Railroad,  The  mound  was  300  feet 
long  and  30  or  40  feet  high,  and  contained  near  the  base  of  it  a 
skeleton  in  a  wrapping  of  matting,  a  large  number  of  copper  im- 
plem.ents  and  ornaments,  and  a  portion  of  the  head  of  a  buffalo. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  here  that  the  pottery  of  this  region  resem- 
bles that  found  in  West  Tennessee  and  in  Southeastern  Missouri 
— a  pottery  mady  of  very  fine  material  and  very  highly  glazed. 
The  animals  imitated  by  the  pottery  are  very  m.uch  the  same,  but 
the  pottery  pipes  and  portrait  vases  are  lacking.  There  are 
many  human  skeletons  lying  underneath  the  soil  in  the  vicinity 
of  these  platform  mounds.  In  some  places  layers  of  them  to 
the  depth  of  eight  or  nine  feet  are  found.  Relic-hunters  also 
find  many  burials  along  the  sides  of  the  bluffs.  Large  quantities 
of  agricultural  tools  are  taken  out  from  these  burial  places.  These 
cemeteries  on  the  bottom  lands  and  on  the  bluffs  indicate  that 
there  was  an  extensive  population  for  a  long  period  of  time.  We 
classify  the  works  and  relics  with  those  of  the  Southern  Mound- 


58  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

builders,  and  imagine  that  they  were  older  than  the  Northern 
Mound-builders. 

We  here  refer  to  the  mounds  of  Kentucky.  Sidney  Lyons,  in 
speaking  of  the  mounds  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  Wabash,  says 
that  they  contain  three  different  kinds  of  burials:  i.  Those 
without  works  of  art  near  the  summit.  2.  Those  with  works  of 
art,  the  bodies  having  been  laid  on  the  surface.  3.  Deep  excava- 
tions containing  badly  preserved  bones.  One  mound  contained 
different  burials,  the  urn  burial  in  the  middle.  With  the  urns 
were  deposited  parcels  of  paint  and  iron  ore.  Another  mound 
contained  several  copper  awls  and  iron  ore  ;  another  mound  con- 
tained the  following  relics  :  several  copper  awls,  five  inches  long, 
a  disc  of  copper  covered  with  woven  fabric,  three  circular  stones 
with  the  margin  groved  like  a  pulley,  with  five  small  perforations 
in  the  margin;  in  another  mound  was  a  layer  of  clay,  beneath 
the  clay  a  pavement  of  limestone.  The  burials  above  the  clay 
were  peculiar:  the  bodies  were  placed  in  circles,  lying  on  the  left 
side,  heads  inward;  the  burials  below  the  pavement  six  feet  be- 
low the  clay ;  but  no  relics  or  works  of  art  were  connected  with 
the  deep  burials.  Some  of  the  bodies  were  covered  with  slabs 
of  stone,  set  slanting  like  a  roof,  but  those  below  the  pavement 
were  merely  covered  with  sandy  soil.  Another  was  to  dig  a  deep 
vault  in  the  form  of  a  circle,  placing  the  bodies  against  the  side 
of  the  wall,  in  a  sitting  posture,  faces  inward.  These  different 
burials  show  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races  in  this  region, 
some  of  them  quite  modern,  others  very  early. 

Mr.  Lyons  seems  to  have  come  upon  burial  mounds  in  which 
there  were  successions  of  races  buried,  three  or  four  different  peri- 
ods of  time  being  represented,  The  relics  and  bones  in  the  deep 
burials  were  generally  decayed.  The  relics  in  the  middle  series 
were  of  a  primitive  kind  and  seem  to  have  been  made  by  an  un- 
warlike  people.  There  were  extensive  cemeteries  in  Tennessee 
and  Missouri,  and  grand  depositories  of  bones  in  the  caves  of 
Kentucky  and  Ohio.  These  cemeteries  and  ossuaries  may  have 
been  earlier  or  later  than  the  regular  Mound-builders;  they  at 
least  show  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races  and  that  all  parts 
of  the  country  were  occupied  for  a  longtime. 


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BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  I^IONUMENTS.  59 


CHAPTER    V. 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS. 

DIFEEREXT     MODES    OF    BURIAL    ASCRIBED    TO    DIFFERENT     TRIBES 

OR    RACES. 

We  propose  in  this  chapter  to  take  up  the  burial  mounds  in  the 
United  States  and  study  them  as  monuments.     The  term  is  very 
appropriate,  since  they,  in  common  with  all  other  funereal  struc- 
tures, were  evidently  erected  as  monuments,  which  were  sacred 
to  the  memory  of  the  dead.     Whatever  we  may  say  about  them 
as  works  of  architecture,  they  are  certainly  monumental   in  de- 
sign.    It  is  a  singular  fact  that  mounds   have  everywhere  been 
erected  for  this  purpose.     We  read  in  Homer  that  a  mound  was 
built  over  the  grave  of  Patroclus,  and  that  the  memorial  of  this 
friend    of  /Eneas    was    only    a    heap    of  earth.      The    name    of 
Buddha,  the  great  Egyptian  divinity,  has  also  been  perpetuated 
in  the  same  way.     There  are   great  topes,  conical  structures,  in 
various  parts  of  Asia,  which  contain  nothing  more  than  a  fabled 
tooth  of  the  great  incarnate  divinity  of  the  East,  but  the  outer 
surface  of  these  topes  is  very  imposing.     The  pyramids  of  Egypt 
were  erected  for  the  same  purpose.     Some  of  them  contain  the 
mummies  of  the  kings  by  whose  orders  they  were  erected.     Some 
of  them  have  empty  tombs,  and  yet  they  are  all   monuments  to 
the  dead.     It  was  a  universal  custom  among  the  primitive  races 
to  erect   such   memorials  to  the  dead.     The  custom  continued, 
even  when  the  races  had  passed  out  from  their  primitive  condi- 
tion, but  was  modified.     The  earth   heaps  gave  place  to  stone 
structures,  cither  menhirs  or  standing  stones,  cairns,  cromlechs, 
dolmens,   triliths.   stone  circles,  and   various  other   rude  stone 
monuments,  though  all  of  these  may  have  been  more  the  tokens 
of  the  bronze  age  than  of  the  stone  age.     We  make  this  distinc- 
tion between  the  ages:    during  the  paleolithic  age  there  were  no 
burial  heaps  ;    the  bodies  were   placed  in  graves,  or    perished 
without  burial.     During  the  neolithic  age  the  custom  of  burying 
in  earth  heaps  was  the  most  common,  though  it  varied  according 
to    circumstances.     During   the    bronze  age    stone  monuments 
were  the  most  numerous.     When  the  iron  age  was  introduced  the 
the  modern  custom  of  erecting  definite  architectural    structures 
appeared.      The   prevalence   of   the   earthworks  in   the   United 
States   as  burial   places  shows  that   the  races   were  here  tn  the 
stone   age,  but  the   difference   between  these  will  illustrate  the 
different  conditions  through  which  the  people  passed  during  that 
age. 


60  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

There  is  one  point  to  be  considered  here.  It  has  been  main- 
tained that  the  stone  age  has  existed  in  all  parts  of  the  globe. 
The  prevalence  of  burial  mounds  proves  this.  It  is  wonderful 
that  they  are  so  widely  distributed.     Sir  John  Lubbock  says: 

"  In  our  own  island  the  smaller  tumuli  may  be  seen  in  almost 
every  down ;  in  the  Orkeys  alone  it  is  estimated  that  more  than 
two  thousand  still  remain ,  and  in  Denmark  they  are  even  more 
abundant;  they  are  found  all  over  Europe  from  the  shores  of  the 
Atlantic  to  the  Ural  mountains;  in  Asia  they  are  scattered  over 
the  great  steppes,  from  the  borders  of  Russia  to  the  Pacific  ocean, 
and  from  the  plains  of  Siberia  to  those  of  Hindostan;  the  entire 
plain  of  Jellabad,  says  Masson,  is  literally  covered  with  tumuli 
and  mounds.  In  America  they  are  to  be  numbered  by  thousands 
and  tens  of  thousands  ;  nor  are  they  wanting  in  Africa,  where 
the  pyramids  exhibit  the  most  magnificent  development  of  the 
same  idea;  indeed,  the  whole  world  is  studded  with  the  burial 
places  of  the  dead.  Many  of  them,  indeed,  are  small,  but  some 
are  very  large.  The  mound  on  Silbury  hill  is  the  highest  in 
Great  Britain  ;  it  has  a  height  of  187  feet.  Though  it  is  evidently 
artificial,  there  is  some  doubt  whether  it  is  sepulchral."* 

Another  fact  is  to  be  noticed.  The  custom  of  erecting 
tumuli,  or  earth  heaps,  has  survived  late  into  history.  This  is 
the  point  which  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas  has  sought  to  establish. 
It  will  be  readily  granted,  for  the  intelligent  reader  will  notice 
that  there  are  such  tumuli  not  only  in  America,  but  also  in  various 
parts  of  Europe.  The  tumuli  in  Russia  will  serve  as  an  exam- 
ple. These  are  called  "kurgans."  and  are  said  to  have  belonged 
to  historic  times,  some  of  them  having  been  erected  as  late  as 
the  eleventh  century,  A.  D.  Two  kinds  of  graves  are  found  in 
them,  one  kind  belonging  to  the  bronze  age,  the  other  to  the 
iron  age,  the  burning  of  the  dead  having  been  practiced  in  the 
bronze  age,  but  the  extended  corpse  being  characteristic  of  the 
iron  age.  Another  remarkable  proof  of  this  is  furnished  by  the 
discovery  of  the  burial  place  of  one  of  the  Norse  sea-kings.  It 
was  on  the  shores  of  Norway,  near  Gokstad,  and  contained  a 
Viking  ship,  with  oars,  shields,  benches,  and  other  equipments. 
In  the  ship  was  a  sepulchral  chamber  which  contained  the  body 
of  a  Viking  chief,  and  about  it  were  the  remains  of  horses  which 
were  buried  with  him.  Here,  then,  we  have  a  case  similar  to 
those  found  in  Russia,  burial  mounds  having  been  erected  as  late 
as  the  tenth  century.  Great  changes  had  taken  place  in  the  sur- 
roundings since  that  time,  for  the  mound  was  some  distance 
from  the  shore,  showing  that  the  sea  had  receded  from  the  land 
since  the  burial. 

The  most  important  point  is   that    there  is  the  perpetuity  of 
the  custom  of  mound  building  through  all  the  "ages".     Here 

♦Lubbock's  Prehistoric  Times,  pp.  Ill  and  112. 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS.  Gl 

we  have  the  Viking  sea-king,  with  a  boat  fastened  together  with 
iron  nails.  In  the  same  region  we  have  kitchen  middens  with 
the  remains  of  extinct  animals  in  them.  Between  the  two  we 
havethe  whole  history  of  the  stone  age,  the  different  monuments 
showing  the  succession  of  races.  If  this  is  the  case  in  Scandi- 
navia, it  is  also  the  case  in  America.  The  burial  mounds  are 
not  all,  by  any  means,  of  modern  date.  Perhaps  none  of 
them  can  be  traced  back  to  as  early  a  date  as  the  kitchen  middens 
and  the  cave  contents  of  Europe  indicate,  )'et  many  of  them  are, 
we  believe,  quite  ancient ;  in  fact,  so  ancient  that  everything  that 
was  perishable  has  passed  away,  and  only  the  imperishable  has 
been  preserved.  The  mounds  are  valuable  as  records,  since  they 
show' a  succession  of  races.  There  may  be,  even  in  the  same 
group,  different  mounds  which  have  been  erected  in  different 
ages,  so  that  the  records  may  go  over  several  hundred  years, 
even  when  the  appearance  externally  is  the  same. 

With  these  remarks  we  propose  to  consider  the  burial  mounds 
of  the  United  States,  especially  those  found  in  the  Mississippi 
valley.  We  would  say.  however,  before  beginning,  that  there 
are  mounds  outside  this  valley,  in  fact  many  of  them.  They 
have  been  discovered  on  the  northwest  coast,  in  British  Colum- 
bia, in  Washington  Territory,  and  in  Oregon.  Mr.  James  Deans 
claims  that  he  has  discovered  a  certain  embankment  near  Vic- 
toria, B.  C,  with  a  ditch  six  feet  deep;  also  low  mounds,  the 
remnants  of  ancient  dwellings,  and  burial  caves  of  the  usual 
type.  Mr.  Forbes  maintains  that  the  works  of  this  region  resem- 
ble the  stone  circles  which  are  found  in  Devonshire,  Kniiland. 
The  dimensions  of  the  mounds  are  from  three  to  eighteen  feet 
in  diameter,  and  they  are  found  in  groups  of  from  three  to  fifty. 
It  is  probable  that  these  earthworks  are  fortifications,  and  that 
the  stone  circles  within  them  are  the  remains  of  huts,  which  have 
fallen  and  been  destroyed.  The  burial  mounds  of  this  region 
have  not  been  explored.  There  are  graves  near  Santa  Barbara, 
and  on  Santa  Rosa  island,  in  Southern  California,  which  have 
yielded  large  quantities  of  stone  relics.  These  have  been  de- 
scribed by  Rev.  Stephen  Bowers,  Drs.  C.  C.  Abbott,  H.  W.  Hen- 
shaw,  Lucien  Carr,  and  others.* 

There  are  also  shell  heaps  or  kitchen  middens  in  the  same 
region.  These,  however,  dilTer  from  the  burial  mounds,  which 
are  really  rare  along  the  Pacific  coast.  Dr.  Hudson  has  discov- 
ered a  tumulus  of  the  regular  type,  and  has  described  it  in 
The  American  AxTiguARiAX.t  It  is  situated  near  Oakland, 
Cal.  "It  is  imposing  in  form,  interesting  in  feature,  locality  and 
composition."  It  measures  three  hundred  feet  in  diameter  at  the 
base,  and  twenty-five  feet  in  height.  It  is  circular  in  form,  with 
a  flat  summit,  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  across  the  truncated 

*See  Wheeler's  Geographical  Survey,  Vol.  VII,  Smithsonian  Report,  1877. 
tSee  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  VII,  No.  3. 


62  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

top.  A  relic  exhumed  from  a  mound  in  the  vicinity  is  also  de- 
scribed by  Dr.  Hudson.  It  is  a  crescent  carved  in  stone,  two 
inches  wide  and  eight  inches  from  point  to  point,  and  is  supposed 
to  indicate  the  prevalence  of  sun  worship  in  the  vicinity. 

We  now  come  to  the  burial  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 
These  are  to  be  0assifiecl  and  described.  We  shall  describe 
them,  both  according  to  their  architectural  character  and  their 
geographical  location,  as  well  as  their  contents,  since  this  is 
the  light  in  which  we  are  to  study  them.  The  architectural  char- 
acter embraces,  I,  the  question  of  size  and  shape;  2,  the  material 
of  which  they  are  composed;  3,  the  method  of  construction, 
whether  stratified  or  solid;  4,  the  character  of  interior,  whether 
a  chamber,  an  altar,  a  fire-bed  or  other  structure. 

The  study  of  geographical  location  will  embrace  two  or  three 
points  :  i,  The  question  whether  some  of  them  were  not  used  as 
signal  stations;  2,  whether  some  of  them  were  not  built  in  con- 
connection  with  villages  ;  3,  whether  their  contents  do  not  reveal 
the  social  status,  the  relics  of  one  district  being  very  different 
from  those  of  another  district,  but  the  burial  mounds  being  quite 
similar  in  character  throughout  the  same  districts;  4,  whether 
their  association  with  other  earth  works  would  indicate  that  all 
were  built  by  the  same  clan  or  tribe. 

In  treating  of  the  burial  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  we 
shall  keep  the  division  which  we  have  adopted  with  reference  to 
the  other  earth-works,  but  shall  modify  it  to  suit  the  circum- 
stances. The  division  is  as  follows:  I.  The  Upper  Mississippi 
district,  including  the  mounds  in  Minnesota  and  Dakota,  and 
extending  north  as  far  as  Lake  Winnipeg,  south  as  far  as  the 
Des  Moines  river.  II.  The  Wisconsin  district,  the  area  of  the 
emblematic  or  effigy  mounds.  III.  The  district  about  the  Great 
Likes,  including  Michigan  and  New  York.  IV.  The  Middle 
Mississippi  district,  including  Illinois,  Iowa  and  Missouri.  V.  The 
district  on  the  Ohio  river.  VI.  The  Appalachian  district, includ- 
ing Western  North  Carolina  and  Eastern  Tennessee.  \TI.  The 
Lower  Mississippi  district,  and  Texas.  VIII.  The  Gulf  district, 
including  the  Gulf  States  east  of  the  Mississippi.  Here  we  find 
large,  flat-topped,  pyramidal  mounds,  enclosed  by  walls  and  sur- 
rounded by  ditches  and  canals. 

This  division  is  the  one  given  by  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas,  though 
it  is  based  upon  a  division  previously  laid  down  by  the  writer, 
but  with  two  districts  added,  the  middle  district  having  been 
divided  into  two,  and  another  on  the  eastern  coast,  in  North 
Carolina,  having  been  discovered  by  Dr.  Thomas  himself  The 
division  is  based  upon  the  characteristics  of  the  relics  which 
are  found  in  the  districts,  rather  than  upon  the  burial  cus- 
toms, and  therefore  indicate  nothing  concerning  these  customs. 
Still  it  is  well  to  state  that  there  is  a  correlation  between  the 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS.  63 

burial  customs  and  the  districts,  so  that  we  may  recognize  the 
social  status  of  the  mounds,  as  well  as  of  the  general  structures. 

I.  We  take  first  the  district  which  is  embraced  within  the 
Upper  Mississippi  valley,  which  may  be  called  the  Northern  dis- 
trict. There  are  many  burial  mounds  in  this  district.  There 
are,  to  be  sure,  a  few  other  earth-wotks.  such  as  fortifications, 
lodge  circles,  lookout  mounds,  and  domiciliary  mounds,  but  the 
large  majority  were  evidently  erected  for  burial  purposes.  These 
are  found  in  Minnesota,  Iowa,  Kansas,  Missouri,  Illinois,  and 
Indiana,  all  of  which  may  be  called  prairie  States.  The  district 
might  also  be  said  to  embrace  the  valley  of  the  Red  river  and 
the  States  of  Dakota,  for  the  mounds  found  in  these  regions  are 
mainly  burial  mounds.  It  is  a  very  extensive  district,  and  yet 
one  that  is  homogeneous  in  character.  It  is  uncertain  whether 
the  mounds  were  the  work  of  Indians  known  to  history,  but  they 
were  evidently  built  by  people  of  the  hunter  class,  all  of  whom 
were  nomadic  in  their  habits.  It  is  one  of  the  peculiarities  of 
nomads  that  they  rarely  provide  for  permanent  habitations,  but 
they  do  provide  for  the  burial  of  the  dead.  It  is  strange  that 
throughout  the  region  which  we  have  mentioned  there  are  so 
few  fortifications  but  so  many  burial  mounds.  It  is  probable 
that  the  people  who  dwelt  on  the  prairies  had  from  time  immem- 
orial been  in  the  habit  of  placing  their  villages  near  the  water 
courses,  and  then  building  signal  mounds  at  various  points  on 
either  side  of  the  villages.  B\-  this  means  they  could  become 
aware  of  the  approach  of  an  enemy,  and  then  find  safety  by 
taking  flight,  leaving  their  villages  to  be  destroyed  by  the  enemy. 

It  is  noticeable  that  most  of  the  signal  stations  were  burial 
mounds,  or,  in  other  words,  burial  mounds  were  used  as  signal 
stations,  the  location  of  these  mounds  on  the  high  points 
being  not  only  favorable  for  burials,  but  also  useful  for  the 
purposes  of  defense,  as  they  furnish  fine  views  of  the  surround- 
ing country.  It  is  possible  that  there  was  a  religious  sentiment 
embodied  in  them — the  spirits  of  the  dead  watching  over  the 
abodes  of  the  living,  but  the  living  taking  the  abodes  of  the  dead 
as  their  watch  towers,  and  so  the  living  and  the  dead  were  com- 
bined together  to  secure  safety. 

They  may  have  been  used  also  by  hunters  as  lookout  stations, 
from  which  the  presence  of  game  could  be  discovered,  as  many  of 
them  command  views  of  the  prairie  upon  one  side  and  the  bottom 
lands  upon  the  other,  being  so  placed  that  large  animals  might  be 
seen  grazing  on  one  side  and  birds  and  water  fowl  feeding  upon 
the  other,  the  lakes,  streams  and  open  countr}-  being  brought  to 
view  by  the  elevated  position,  and  at  the  same  time  signals  in  the 
shape  of  fires  or  clouds  of  smoke  could  be  sent  to  more  distant 
points.  It  is  a  region  which  favored  this  method  of  defense  and  this 
kind  of  hunting,  since  it  was  a  prairie  region  through  which  large 
streams  and  rivers  flowed,  the  rivers  furnishing  an  abundance  of 


64  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS, 

fish  and  water  fowl,  but  the  prairies  game  of  a  larger  sort.  It  is 
very  interesting  to  pass  over  the  country  and  study  the  location 
of  the  burial  mounds  with  these  points  in  view,  for  there  is 
scarcely  a  mound  whose  location  is  not  significant.  The  burial 
mounds  form  cordons  of  lookout  stations,  and  taken  together 
they  make  a  net-work  which  covers  the  whole  map.  The  writer 
has  discovered  three  lines  of  lookout  stations  along  the  Mississ- 
ippi river,  one  of  them  on  the  bottom  lands  near  the  bank  of  the 
river,  another  on  the  bluffs  which  overlook  the  river,  another 
several  miles  back  overlooking  the  prairies,  which  are  situated 
on  either  side  of  the  river  valley.  It  was  also  noticed  that  within 
the  lines  of  lookout  stations  the  villages  were  built,  some  of 
them  being  on  the  bottom  land,  others  on  the  bluffs,  others  on 
the  edge  of  the  prairies,  the  burial  mounds  being  placed  near 
the  villages,  but  lookout  mounds  at  a  distance.  Others  have  also 
noticed  the  same  system  of  signal  stations  on  the  Missouri 
river.* 

As  to  the  character  of  the  mounds  within  the  district,  we 
would  say  that  they  are  ordinary  conical  or  hemispherical  tumuli, 
built  solidly  throughout,  very  few  of  them  having  cists  within 
them,  though  some  of  them  contain  layers  of  stone,  which  alter- 
nate with  the  layers  of  earth,  the  bodies  being  below  the  strata. 
Perhaps  the  district  may  be  subdivided  according  to  the  relics 
contained  in  the  mounds,  but  not  according  to  the  modes  of 
burial,  though  different  modes  of  burial  were  practiced  by  the 
different  tribes  which  traversed  the  district. 

Some  of  the  bodies  are  recumbent,  others  in  sitting  posture, 
others  lying  upon  the  side,  perhaps  buried  in  the  attitude  in 
which  they  died  ;  others  present  promiscuous  heaps  of  bfnes — 
"  bone  burials"  ;  others  have  the  bodies  arranged  in  a  circle,  teet 
out  and  heads  toward  the  center  ;  others  have  the  bodies  arranged 
in  lines  placed  parallel  with  one  another.  A  few  have  bodies  in 
tiers,  as  if  piled  upon  one  another.  All,  however,  are  buried  in 
a  compact  manner,  chambers  being  exceptions. 

The  solid  type  of  burial  mound  we  ascribe  to  the  hunter  races. 
This  may  seem  conjectural,  and  yet  we  think  the  conclusion  is 
proven  by  the  facts.  If  we  take  the  range  of  this  class  of  tumuli 
and  compare  it  with  the  habitat  of  the  hunter  tribes  known  to 
history,  we  shall  find  a  very  close  correspondence.  In  this  dis- 
trict we  find  the  Algonquins  and  Dacotahs,  who  were  strictly 
hunters,  and  the  Chippewas,  who  were  both  hunters  and  fisher- 
men. They  occupied  all  of  the  region  between  the  great  lakes 
and  the  Ohio  river,  extending  west  as  far  as  the  Missouri  river. 
They  would  be  called  savages,  though  according  to  Mr.  Morgan's 
classification,  they  would  occupy  the  upper  status  of  savagery 
and  the  lower  status  of  barbarism.     They  were  partially  village 

*S.  V.  Proudfit,  in  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  VI,  No.  5. 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS.  (56 

Indians,  were  acquainted  with  pottery,  they  used  the  bow  and 
arrow,  occasionally  used  metals  such  as  copper,  galena,  brown 
hematite  and  mica.  They  subsisted  upon  wild  animals,  but  also 
gathered  wild  rice,  and  some  of  them  cultivated  maize  and  had 
patches  of  squashes,  melons  and  other  garden  products.  The 
chief  tokens  of  this  class  of  people  are  found  in  the  burial 
mounds.  They  consist  of  arrows  and  spears,  axes  and  hammers, 
shell  beads,  copper  needles,  knives,  pipes,  badges  or  maces, 
spool  ornaments,  and  occasionally  specimens  of  cloth.  Modern 
relics  are  frequently  found  in  the  mounds,  showing  that  the 
hunter  races  of  this  district  did  not  abandon  the  mound  building 
until  after  the  advent  of  the  white  man.  The  relics,  however, 
prove  that  in  the  prehistoric  times  the  people  of  this  entire  dis- 
trict were  in  a  much  lower  condition  than  those  in  the  Southern 
States.  There  are  no  burial  urns,  no  painted  pottery,  no  elabor- 
ate symbols,  very  few  idols  or  human  images,  and  but  few 
inscribed  tablets.  There  are  traces  of  extensive  aboriginal  trade, 
copper  from  Lake  Superior,  shells  from  the  sea  coast  and  the 
gulf  of  Mexico,  obsidian  cores  from  the  Rocky  mountains,  mica 
from  North  Carolina,  flint  from  Ohio,  and  galena  from  Wiscon- 
sin. This  \ariety  of  relics  proves  not  only  that  there  was  an 
aboriginal  trade,  but  that  the  tribes  were  wanderers  and  had  not 
reached  the  sedentary  condition  which  is  peculiar  to  agricultural 
races.  This  confirms  what  we  have  said,  There  may  have  been 
a  great  variety  of  races,  and  it  is  very  likelj'  that  there  were  many 
periods  of  occupation,  a  succession  of  races.  Still,  the  region 
was  so  favorable  to  hunting  that  it  seemed  to  have  been  occupied 
by  hunters  from  time  immemorial.  We  have  discovered  signs 
of  different  periods  of  occupation  in  many  of  the  burial  mounds 
of  this  region.  In  one  group  we  found  three  mounds.  One  of 
them  contained  the  body  of  a  medicine  man,  with  a  modern 
looking-glass  in  one  hand  and  a  bridle-bit  in  the  other,  with  frag- 
ments of  cotton  cloth,  pieces  of  tin,  coils  of  brass  wire  and  other 
relics  about  his  person,  showing  that  he  was  buried  after  the 
advent  of  white  men,  probably  within  fifty  years.  Another 
mound  contained  several  bodies,  but  with  no  relics  except  a 
single  chipped  flint  arrow-head,  though  a  child  seemed  to  have 
had  a  wristlet  of  bone  beads  around  its  hand,  and  a  pottery  vase 
filled  with  svveatmeats  which  had  been  placed  near  its  head.  This 
mound  had  trees  growing  upon  its  summit  which  were  at  least 
three  hundred  years  old.  The  third  mound  contained  three 
bodies  lying  upon  the  side,  with  face  in  the  hand.*  We  discovered 
also  in  the  same  recrion  mounds  built  with  stonewalls  in  the  form 
of  a  circle,  filled  with  bodies  laid  in  tiers,  but  with  stone  slabs 
lying  between  the  tiers,  the  whole  solid  throughout,  and  a  quasi 

♦There  are  evidences  that  this  mode  of  burial  was  practiced  by  one  of  the  later 
tribes,  possibly  Sacs  and  Foxes,  but  the  other  burials  were  by  the  earlier  tribes,  some 
of  them  by  Stiawnees,  and  some  of  them  by  tribes  preceding  even  the  Illinois. 


66 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


roof  of  slabs  covering  the  whole  structure.  The  evidence  was 
that  a  number  of  tribes  had  occupied  the  region.  Each  tribe 
had  practiced  a  different  mode  of  burial,  but  that,  with  all  their 
changes,  no  tribe  passed  beyond  the  hunter  state.  We  give  a 
series  of  cuts*  to  illustrate  the  character  of  the  mounds  of  this 
region.  One  of  these  represents  a  group  near  Excelsicr,  Minn. 
See  Plate  I.  It  is  in  a  forest  which  borders  on  Lake  Minnetonka. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  circle  of  mounds  surrounding  a 
low  place  or  natural  meadow,  and  a  wall  extending  along  the  lake 
shore.  The  group  contains  sixty-nme  mounds,  most  of  them 
burial  mounds.  One  of  the  mounds  was  opened,  and  thirty-five 
skulls  were  found  within  it,  arranged  in  a  circle,  covered  with 


^.Mi'ji/yv,  ^.   \>.\iJ;,.'/;/    --T^''VT7—  \tui////f    Mi;/«'/-.     oilii*/'.< 

\\J///^u  \     ^U///////,         v^iHI/'/'"        ^^\l//i/n      <-"'' 

i////    v>J'/"'  \\\i//t/  \\i/i//y    \\\"/' 

.IU„,     MW      »»//..•      -t^/,  .--•-,    «"/'//.      ,>.. .."""      •^<"J"'     -""*'     •'"■""    """" 

.„      >^^'I/W       'j.-v       ..i'."  '^^''-       ii'.W-*-   ^»w«''    W/    yHi//".   «!*//•  >.W«'/. 
'     S%     ^i^'^'"'''\\L    ■'"■•^'^'-'      -"""■■■     «'"""    ^'"■'    UJ/<?*-  *'•■"■•  """j 

^  -""■'•  ffli  ^"'^- -^. 


tig.    J/.//-      g  =      v""" 


''/1/i,'(llMllliniiMllilliiiil^vV>^U 

•^^,t///        ^^\UA///       vl////^A 


j^/^.  i—Qroitp  of  Mounds  Ticelve  Miles  from  Gideon's  Bay. 

sand.  The  location  of  the  group  and  the  arrangement  of  the 
mounds  would  indicate  that  it  was  the  site  of  an  ancient  village. 
The  writer  has  discovered  other  village  sites  with  the  same  or 
similar  arrangements  of  burial  mounds — one  of  them  on  the 
Crawfish,  near  Mud  Lake,  in  Wisconsin,  and  another  at  the  Cor- 
liss Bayou,  near  Prairie  du  Chien.  The  placing  of  the  burial 
mounds  around  the  edge  of  a  village  site  may  have  been  owing 
to  superstition,  the  same  superstition  as  that  which  led  to  the 
use  of  a  burial  mound  as  a  signal  station,  the  spirits  of  the  dead 
being  regarded  as  a  protection  to  the  village,  since  they  were 
supposed  to  remain  near  the  place  where  the  body  was  laid.  It 
may,  however,  have  been  owing  to  the  custom,  which  prevailed 
in  certain  tribes,  of  burying  the  dead  in  the  very  spot  where  the 


*See  Smithsonian  Report,  1879,  p.  422. 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS.  67 

lodge  stood,  and  then  moving  the  lodge  to  another  place.  A 
group  of  mounds  one  mile  northeast  o(  this  is  shown  on  the 
upper  left-hand  corner  of  the  cut.  Plate  1.  They  are  on  a  spot 
of  ground  four  hundred  and  iifty  feet  above  the  level  of  the  lake, 
and  were  probably  used  as  signal  stations.  A  group  twelve 
miles  southeast  is  represented  in  the  next  cut.  Fig.  i.  Here  are 
thirteen  mounds  situated  on  a  high  bluff,  showing  that  these  were 
used  as  signal  stations  as  well  as  burial  mounds.  There  is 
another  group,  two  miles  southwest,  which  contains  forty  or  fifty 
mounds,  and  still  another,  seven  miles  northwest,  which  is  called 
]\Iound  City.  Here  the  writer  has  discovered  a  game  drive. 
Takingthe  region  together,  we  should  say  thatthe burial  mounds 
were  closely  connected  with  the  village  life,  but  such  a  kind  o 
life  as  hunters  would  follow,  the  very  position  of  the  tumuli 
being  such  as  would  be  favorite  spots  with  hunters. 

There  are  not  many  large  m.ounds  in  the  northern  district.  The 
only  one  which  has  been  discovered  is  the  one  called  the  hay- 
stack mound.  It  is  situated  in  Lincoln  County,  Dakota,  eighty- 
five  miles  northwest  of  Sioux  City.  It  is  on  a  fine  bottom,  and 
is  three  hundred  and  twenty-seven  feet  in  length  at  the  base  at 
the  northwest  side  and  two  hundred  and  ninety  feet  on  the 
southeast  side,  and  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  wide.  Its  sides 
slope  at  an  angle  of  about  fifty  degrees;  it  is  from  thirty-four  to 
forty-one  feet  in  height,  the  northeast  end  being  the  higher. 

The  most  interesting  mounds  of  this  district  are  the  lookout 
mounds,  to  which  we  have  already  referred.  Some  of  these  arc 
quite  large,  being  situated  upon  sightly  places,  they  are  prominent 
lankmarks,  and  are  now  becoming  interesting  objects  for  tourists 
to  visit.  One  such  lookout  mound  is  situated  near  St.  Paul ; 
others  at  Winona,  at  Red  Wing,  at  Dubuque,  at  Dunleith,  at 
Rock  Island  and  Davenport,  at  New  Albany,  Keokuk,  Quincy, 
and  other  places.  One  of  the  mounds  south  of  Quincy  was 
used  by  the  coast  survey  as  a  place  to  erect  a  tower  upon,  thus 
showing  that  it  occupied  a  very  prominent  position. 

We  give  here  a  map  of  the  mounds  situated  along  the  banks  of 
the  Mississippi  river,  near  Muscatine.  The  map  will  show  the 
number  and  location  of  the  tumuli.  They  are  perhaps  more 
numerous  in  this  vicinity  than  elsewhere,  but  they  are  generally 
placed  on  the  highest  points  or  bluffs,  as  they  are  here.  This 
particular  region  has  been  explored  by  gentlemen  from  Musca- 
tine and  from  Davenport.  The  letters  will  indicate  the  points. 
It  has  been  found  that  they  were  nearly  all  burial  mounds,  though 
they  did  not  all  contain  relics,  other  than  the  bones  of  the  dead. 
See  map. 

There  are  shell  heaps  in  this  vicinity,  located  in  the  neighbor- 
hood of  these  mounds,  "  which  extend  for  miles  without  inter- 
ruption." They  are  composed  of  recent  shells  and  contain  few 
implements.     The  mounds  occupy  the  most   beautiful   prospect 


68 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


in  the  country.  One  large  mound  five  miles  east  of  Moline  was 
opened  and  disclosed  the  following  structure:  Three  feet  of 
soil  (a),  twenty-two  inches  of  ashes  and  bones  (b),  and  twelve 
inches  of  charcoal  and  bones  (c).  See  Fig.  2.  In  seven  mounds 
the  bodies  were  fc/und  lying  upon  the  side,  the  knees  drawn   up 

to  the  chin.*  Two  other  groups 
in  this  vicinity  are  represented  in 
the  cuts.  Figs.  3  and  4.  One  of 
them,  the  one  on  Tohead  Island, 
has  a  shell  heap  near  it,  and  the 
other  containing  ten  mounds,  is 
located  on  an  isolated  hill  or  ridge. 
In  the  vicinity  is  found  a  cemetery 
containing  two  or  three  hundred 
graves.  The  graves  are  upon  low 
ground,  and  the  mounds  upon  high 
ground. 

We  give  also  another  cut  (see 
Fig.  5t)  to  show  the  relative  group- 
ing of  the  burial  mounds.  The 
group  has  been  explored  by  parties 
from  the  Davenport  Academy,  and 


,„,,,,,, ,,, .,,^a^ 

Fig.  2— Mound  near  Moline. 

some  interesting  relics  have  been  taken  from  them,  Moline  being 
but  a  few  miles  east  of  Davenport.  The  group  contains  thirty- 
three  mounds,  some  of  them  made  ot  lime-stone  slabs. 

The  burial  mounds  of  this  vicinity — Muscatine.  Rock  Island, 
Moline  and  Davenport — show  how  extensive  the  population 
was.     They   con- 


tain many  relics 
which  show  that 
the  people  were 
quite  advanced  in 
some  of  the  arts, 
the  scul  ptu  red 
pipes  which  have 
been  taken  out 
from  the  mounds 
being     very      re- 


-  /oo  ft  ■  -  —  f  *  -jaoft-st 
Fig.  3— Mound  on  Tohead  Island. 


markable.  There 
is  not  a  better  col- 
lection of  the  pipes  of  the  Mound-builders'  in  the  United 
States  than  the  one  contained  in  the  museum  of  the  Davenport 
Academy  of  Science.  These  pipes  were  taken  from  the  mounds 
in  the  vicinity,  those  from  the  Cooke  farm,  three  miles  south  of 
Davenport,  being  the  most  interesting.     From  this  same  group 


*See  description  of  same  mode  of  burial  in  mounds  near  Quincy,  111. 

+See  Am.  Antiquarian,  Vol.  II,  No.  2.    Taken  from  Smithsonian  Report,  1879,  p.  060 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS.  69 

on  the  Cooke  farm  the  so-called  Davenport  tablets  were  taken. 
These  are  anomalous  in  character,  totally  unlike  the  other  speci- 
mens in  the  cabinet.  ^Members  of  the  Academy  maintain  that 
they  are  genuine,  but  one  may  recognize  upon  them  so  many 
Roman  and  Arabic  numerals,  and  so  many  alphabetic  letters,  as 
to  conclude  at  once  that  they  were  made  by  some  one  acquainted 
■with  these  modern  characters.     The  relics  contained  in  the  cab- 


Fig.  U — Group  of  Ten  Monuds  on  a  High  Ridge. 

inet,  aside  from  these  tablets,  are  very  valuable.  We  find  here 
many  interesting  specimens  of  copper  axes  and  pieces  of  cloth, 
as  well  as  pipes  and  pottery.  There  are  also  relics  in  the  cabinet 
from  the  districts  farther  south,  from  Missouri  and  Arkansas, 
and  these  being  placed  side  by  side,  show  the  differences  between 
the  districts  in  grade  of  culture  and  art  products. 

II.     We   come  now  to  the  second  district.     This  is  the  district 
occupied  by  the  effigy  mounds.     It  is  a  very  interesting  region. 


I        Y?i  I  ii° — ^L — ijf — ti^f-  ; 

1 seal?  J ' 

Tlail    HoadL. 

^ulllMHl^rrm^r,^T^mTTTm-nlymrm-',Tm:r■^r^-^Tf  1 1 1 1 1 1 1  n  ii  n  i  n  li  n  Mnii  i  iiiii  n  '  rt-t-i-mtt 

Fig.  5.— Burial  Mounds  near  Moline,  III. 

Here  the  effigies  are  numerous  and  have  a  great  variety  of 
shapes.  We  have  in  them  complete  imitations  of  the  animals 
which  once  abounded,  but  which  have  become  for  the  most  part 
extinct.  There  are  many  effigies  of  panthers,  wolves,  foxes,  bear, 
wild  cat  and  other  beasts  of  prey.  Besides  them  we  have 
moose,  elk,  deer,  buffalo,  antelope  and  other  grazing  animals 
There  are  also  many  birds;  eagles,  hawks,  wild  geese,  pigeons 
swans,  cranes,  herons,   ducks  of  various  sorts,  swallows,  night 


70 


PREHIJ^TORIC  MONUMENTS. 


•"! 


»>  • 


■^v, 


^w- 


hawks.  The  amphibious  creatures  are  also 
represented;  turtles,  lizards,  muskrats,  otter, 
fish  and  frogs.  Also  fur-bearing  animals,  such 
as  beaver,  badger,  squirrels,  skunks,  mink  and 
weasels;  raccoons  and  martens.  Many  of  these 
v«»  |-^«|  3''^    imitations  of  the  animals,  but    many  of 

^\^^^  them  are  also  totems  or  emblems  of  the  tribe 

who  formerly  dwelt  here.  The  effigies  have 
enabled  us  to  identify  the  affinity  of  the  tribe 
as  well  as  its  division  into  clans.  Some  eight 
or  nine  clans  have  been  identified.  The  burial 
mounds  are  scattered  among  the  effigies  in 
such  a  way  as  to  show  that  the  clans  were 
accustomed   to  deposit  their  dead  in  conical 

tumuli,though 
they  occasion- 
ally erected  an 
effigy  over  the 
prominent 
members  ofthe 
•m  .o->©t'''be.  Not  all 
k'^^.I'  of  the  conical 

tumuli  were 
erected  by  the  effigy 
builders.  There  was 
a  succession  of  races 
or  tribes  which  occu- 
pied this  region, 
some  of  which  built 
only  conical  monnds, 
but  the  effigy  build- 
ers were  the  first  of 
all. 


/Jf  The  tumuli  of  the 

/F^  effigy  builders  can  be 

distinguished     from 
those    of    the    later 
tribes    both    by    the 
proximity  to  effigies,  and  by  their  location  upon  the 
high  ground,  as  well  as  by  the  contents.     They    are 
ordina'ry    conical    tumuli,    solidly    built    throughout. 
They  contain  burials  which  resemble  those  of  the  first 
district,    though  there  are  very  few  pipes  or  carved 
stone  relics  found  within  them.     Some  of  these  burial 
mounds  are  surrounded  by  effigies,  as  if  the  purpose 
was  to  guard  them.     Others,  however,  are  arranged 
in    lines    with    the    effigies,    forming    parts    of    the 
groups.     Still  others  are  placed  on  the  summits  of  hills,  with 


_.0-^C 


0 


4 

0 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS. 


71 


effii^ies  arranged  in  line  in  front  of  them,  others  in  clusters  with 
effigies  at  various  distances  from  them.*  In  one  case  a  row  of 
burial  mounds  was  found  located  on  a  ridec  or  hieh  cliff-    the 


Fi(j.  ,' — Effirjiex  and  Burial  Mounds  near  BeloiU 

ridge  having  the  shape  of  an  immense  serpent,  and  the  mounds 
being  arranged  so  as  to  show  the  form  of  the  serpent,  the 
summit  of  the  ridge  and  the  line  of  the  mounds  both  convey- 
ing the  same  idea.  This  was  near  Cassville,  in  Grant  Count}% 
Wisconsin. 


2' if/.  >— J/(>((/((/.v  on  the  East  Side  of  Lake  Koahkonong. 

We  give  a  series  of  cuts  to  illustrate  the  burial  mounds  of 
this  district.  The  first  group  is  situated  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
so-called  elephant  effigy,  on  the  same  bottom  land,  but  about  a 
mile  to  the  north.  See  Fig.  6.  It  was  described  by  Mr.  Moses 
Strong.t 


*See  book  on  "Emblematic  Mounds,"  by  the  author.      fSmithsonian  Report,  1875, 


72 


PREHISTORIC  MOXUMENTS. 


SECTION 

or    THE 

MOUN  D 

AT     A 


£1IL 


LIMEST 


rONE    GRAVEU^ 


L"**?! 


C.R<nr.tftia( 


b-Lowar      m         > 
d-jGravclIy  so.l  o[  hiil. 


The  group  was  excavated  and    found   to    contain    intruded 

burials,  skeletons  very  fresh  in  appearance, 
but  no  other  relics.  This  group  may  have 
been  erected  by  a  tribe  which  followed  the 
effigy  builders.  Another  cut,  however, 
represents  a  group  near  Aztlan  (see  Fig.  13), 
the  celebrated  ancient  city,  which  may  have 
been  the  capital  of  the  effigy  builders. 
The  next  represents  a  group  near  Beloit. 
See  Fig.  8.  Here  effigies  and  tumuli 
are  associated.  Another  cut  (see  Fig.  9) 
represents  a  group  on  the  east  side  of  Lake 
Mff.  9-Mound  at  Waukesha  j^Q^l^]^^^^^^^      ^^^^    burial    mounds    are 

guarded  by  eagles.  Another  group  on  the  west  side  of  Lake 
Koshkonong  repre- 
sents burial  mounds 
guarded  by  tortoises. 
Burial  mounds  have 
been  explored  by  va- 
rious parties,  Dr.  L 
A.  Lapham,  Dr.  J.  E. 
Hoy,  R.  B.  Arm- 
strong   W    H   Ander-  Fig.  10— Mound  at  Indian  Ford. 

son,  Wm.  F.  Clarke,  Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas,  Col.  J.  G.  Heg  and  others. 

The  mound  explored 
by  Dr.  Lapham  was 
at  Waukesha.  This 
group  was  found  on 
the  college  campus. 
A  circular  wall  about 
nme  feet  in  diameter 
was  discovered.    This 

Fig.  11— Mounds  on  Rock  River.  extended     about     tWO 

feet  above  the  original  surface.  An  excavation  within  this  wall 
was  filled  with  black  earth  to  the 
depth  of  about  two  feet.  At  the 
bottom  of  this  was  a  skeleton 
lying  on  its  back.  It  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  circular  heap  of 
stone,thestone  also  being  placed 
over  the  body  so  as  to  form  a 
sort  of  rude  stone  coffin.  See 
Fig.  9.  In  the  left  hand  of  the 
skeleton  was  a  pottery  bowl,  in 
the  right  hand  a  small  pipe. 
At  the  head  were  fragments  of 
two  pottery  vessels.    The  mound  ^s-  12-Mound  at  Newton. 

opened  by  Dr.  J.  E.  Hoy  was  at  Racine.     This  contained  a  body 


CroiiSetti'ori  of  fAounA  'A 


sKUnono  LaKe 


- l?it  of  WKsd   clou  conta'tn'ing  '  i  sRcliHinSi 
Scale-  i2fV.  tufheinih. 


GftTSECflON  OF  THE  CENTEH  OF  MOUNl'l"/!!  KOTOF  KJSHIUNIlNt  lAKE 


A-  Stiajt  sunK  at  ctnftr  of  mQwid 
'    a-SKeleTun     /ohtsmnglciluiithtnc  bones. 
t-Laytr  olborK.  C- Booulder 

d  Ocpo&it  ofcishes     3iain  inicJ\ne£j. 


a  O  Ob   o  O  O  «  I 


BURIAL  MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS  MONUMENTS,  73 

in  a  sitting  posture,  but  there  were  no  cist  or  wall  or  relics  near 
it.  The  mounds  explored  by  Mr.  Clarke  were  near  Indian  Ford, 
on  Rock  river.  One  of  these  contained  two  burials  (5ee  Fig.  lo); 
with  three  skeletons  at  the  top  and  seven  skeletons  at  the  bottom. 
Another  large  mound  (see  F"ig.  12),  75  feet  in  diameter,  13  feet 
high,  contained  ashes  three  inches  thick  (d);  below  the  ashes  a 
flat  stone  (c);  below  the  stone  decayed  wood  and  bark  (b),  and 
below  these  a  human  skeleton  (a). 

Thus  we  see  that  there  was  no  uniformity  in  the  structure  of 
the  burial  mounds  of  the  district.  Some  of  them  3eem  to  have 
been  solid,  ot^hers  stratified.  The  bodies  in  some  were  found  in 
sitting  posture,  in  others  recumbent;  some  of  them  contained 
rude  stone  walls;  others  contained  altars;  there  is  also  evidence 
of  cremation  in  some  of  them;  in  others,  evidence  of  bone  burial. 
The  probability  is  that  there  was  a  succession  of  races  here,  and 
that  some  of  the  races  or  tribes  continued  to  bury  in  mounds 
until  after  the  settlement  of  the   -           w--,.v-.   '  r^-;r-?rr^^ 

country  by  the  whites,  as  modern      ^  -  .  m,  . ^ :-    .       ,    . 

relics    are    sometimes    found  in 

them.     The  state  abounds  witli 

copper  relics,  but  it  is  uncertain    ^^^0°'?^^  ****  \^f^ooQ6a9  i 

whether  these  were  left  by  effig\  *  \  \_ 

builders,  or  by  subsequent  tribes 

probably,  however,  by  the   late 

tribes,  since  most   of  them   ai' 

surface  finds. 

The  effigies  do  not  often  con- 
tain burials.     One  group,  how- 
ever, has  been  explored  near  Beloit.     Two  of  the  efifigies  in  the 
group  contained  bodies  which  had  been  laid  in  rows,  side  by 
side,  eight  in  number,  on  the  surface  of  the  ground,  and  then 
the  effigy  mound  was  erected  over  them.     It  is  supposed  that 
the  effigy  indicates  the  clan  to  which  the  persons  belonged,  but 
it  is  probable  that  the  honor  was  bestowed  upon  some  chief,  and 
his  family,  or  upon  some  band    of  warriors,  but  that  it  was  not 
common  to  bury  in  this  way.     Dr.  Cyrus  Thomas  has  described 
several  burial  mounds  which  were  excavated  by  his  assistants 
near  Prarie  du  Chien,  in  Crawford  and  Vernon  Counties,  Wis. 
One  of  these  was  stratified,  first  a  layer  of  sand,  next  calcined 
bones,  charcoal  and  ashes,  burned  hard,  next  clay  burned  to  a 
brick,  next  a  heap  of  bones,  with  charcoal  and  ashes.     At  the 
bottom  was  a  pit,  filled  with  chocolate  colored  dust.     Another 
contained  two  rude  walls,  three  feet  high  and  eight  feet  long,  be- 
tween them  a  number  of  skeletons,  lying  flat,  the  skeleton  being 
covered  with  a  layer  of  mortar,  this  by  a  layer  of  clay  and  ashes, 
this  again  by  a  layer  of  clay,  and  then  the  top  covering  of  sand 
and  soil.     Dr.  J.  E.  Hoy  has  described  a  mound  at  Racine  which 
contained  a  single  skeleton  in  sitting  posture.     Dr.  J.  N.  De- 


Fig.  l.>— Mounds  near  Aztlan. 


74  iPREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

Harte*  describes  one  at  Madison  as  containing  several  bodies, 
one  above  the  other,  all  of  them  in  sitting  posture,  and  still  an- 
other containing  an  altar  at  the  base,  but  with  no  bodies. 

III.  The  third  district  embraces  the  region  abcut  the  great 
lakes,  from  Detroit  on  through  Northern  Ohio  into  New  York 
State.  This  district  was  occupied  by  the  military  or  warlike 
races,  and  the  mounds  have  been  called  military  works.  The 
distinguishing  peculiarity  of  the  district  is  that  there  are  so 
many  remains  of  old  stockades  in  it.  These  stockades  are  found 
in  great  numbers  in  the  State  of  New  York,  but  they  are  also 
seen  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  as  at  Conneaut,  at  Ashta- 
bula, at  Painesville,  at  Weymouth,  south  of  Cleveland,  at  Detroit 
and  many  other  points.  The  burial  mounds  of  the  district  are 
for  the  most  part  simple  conical  tumuli,  some  of  which  may  have 
been  used  as  lookout  stations  as  well  as  for  burials.  There  are, 
however,  a  few  large  mounds,  and  these  we  shall  speak  of 
especially.  There  is  at  Detroit  a  massive  burial  mound,  seven 
hundred  feet  long,  four  hundred  feet  wide,  and  not  less  than  forty 
feet  high.  It  is  situated  near  the  river  Rouge,  three  miles 
below  the  city.  Mr.  Bela  Hubbard  says  of  it:  "From  the' 
immense  number  of  skeletons  found  in  it  and  the  mode  of  their 
occurrence,  there  can  be  but  little  doubt  that  it  is  one  of  those 
national  sepulchres  of  the  Huron  and  Algonquin  tribes,  where 
were  deposited  the  remains  of  their  dead.  It  affords  certain 
evidence  that  cremation  was  practiced.  Much  charcoal  and 
ashes  were  found,  mingled  with  burned  bones.  With  these  were 
many  pieces  of  large  pots,  but  all  broken.  The  mound  contained 
so-called  'cellars'  or  'altars'." 

Here  were  also  the  celebrated  perforated  skulls,  which  have 
been  so  fully  described  by  Mr.  Henry  Gillman,  skulls  which 
evidently  belonged  to  a  rude  hunter  or  military  race.  The  situ- 
ation is  such  as  would  be  chosen  by  the  mound  builders  overall 
others.  For  a  m.onument  to  their  dead  it  is  most  picturesque.  It 
was  visible  from  a  great  distance  in  every  direction  and  at  the 
same  time  commanded  a  view  of  both  the  water  and  the  land 
for  many  miles. f 

The  burial  mounds  in  this  region  have  a  general  resemblance. 
They  are  terrace-like  embankments  twenty  or  twenty-five  feet 
in  height,  which  run  parallel  with  the  river  or  lake  shore.  They 
are  partly  natural  and  partly  artificial.  They  contain  relics,  the 
debris  of  camps,  as  well  as  burials.  The  bones  taken  from  them 
are  marked  with  platyc  nemism.  showing  that  the  people  who 
dwelt  here  were  hunters,  since  narrow,  sharp  shin  bones  are 
characteristic  of  hunters.  The  burial  mounds  of  New  York 
State  differ  from  those  of  Michigan,  in  that  they  are  conical 
tumuli,  and  are  Vv'holly  artificial.     Some  of  them  contain  modern 

*  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  I,  Page  200. 

tMemorials  of  Haifa  Century,  by  Bela  Hubbard,  p.  229. 


^fec?;' >; -i^?rf' --^^^^i^/^i--*- 


Svt. 


otp  ».  <«t"»«.* 


BURIAL   MOUNDS   IN   OHIO, 


BURIAL  MONUNDS  VIEWED  AS   MONUMENTS. 


75 


relics,  but  the  majority  of  the  relics  are  those  which  belong  to 
the  Iroquois,  and  consist  of  spear-heads,  arrow-heads,  stone 
pestles  of  varying  length,  clay  pipes  having  a  great  variety  of 
patterns,  also  a  few  copper  relics;  but  no  tablets,  no  shell  gor- 
gets, and  nothing  that  suggests  either  picture-writing  or  sym- 
bolism. There  are  burial  mounds  in  Northern  Ohio,  associated 
with  old  stockade  forts,  which  were  probably  erected  by  the 
Eries,  who  belong  to  the  same  stock  as  the  Iroquois.  Con- 
firmatory of  this,  is  the  fact  that  many  pipes  and  other  relics, 
resembling  those  used  by  the  Eries  and  the  Iroquois,  have 
recently  been  found  at  Willoughby,  west  of  Cleveland. 

IV  The  district  embraced  by  Southern  Ohio  and  adjoining 
states  presents  the  greatest  number  of  burial  mounds,  and 
furnishes  the  best  field  for  the  study  of  the  Mound-Builders' 
habits  and  customs.     The  burial  mounds  here,  are   frequently 


Stone  Graves  in  Ohio. 

arranged  in  groups,  some  of  them  very  large.  They  have  been 
described  by  different  authors,  though  Squier  and  Davis  are 
still  the  best  authorities  on  the  subject. 

These  mounds  are  generally  situated  upon  the  hill  tops, 
from  which  extensive  views  may  be  gained.  The  majority  of 
them,  however,  are  situated  not  far  from  the  village  enclosures, 
and  were  evidently  erected  by  the  people,  who  dwelt  in  the 
villages.  Many  of  these  mounds  are  stratified,  and  contain  a 
succession  of  burials.  The  most  interesting  of  these  have 
altars  at  the  base,  which  present  evidence  that  many  of  the 
bodies  were  cremated. 

There  are  a  few  mounds  which  contain  stone  graves,  or 
graves  made  by  a  cist  of  flat  limestone  slabs,  set  on  edge  and 
overlapping  each  other,  making  a  rectangular  cist  resembl- 
ing a  flat  box  in  shape,  but  with  the  bodies  in  recumbent 
attitudes.  Many  conical  stone  heaps,  resembling  huts,  are 
found    in    West   Virginia,  but    they  belong  to  a  people  who 


76 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


practised  different  modes  of  burial  and  lived  in  a  very  different 
way  from  the  Mound-Builders  of  Ohio. 

The  burial  mounds  were  frequently  used  as  signal  stations, 
and  whole  lines  of  them  have  been  traced  from  valley  to  val- 
ley, giving  the  idea  that  there  was  here  a  confederacy  of  tribes, 
and  that  the  same  people  built  the  hill  forts,  village  enclosures, 
signal  stations  and  look-out  mounds,  as  well  as  the  burial 
mounds.  They  were  given  to  agriculture  and  dwelt  in  perma- 
nent villages,  but  were  surrounded  by  warlike  tribes,  against 
whom  they  needed  to  protect  tnemselves.  There  is  no  part  of 
the  country  where  burial  mounds  are  more  numerous  and  more 
symmetrical  in  shape.  The  contents  of  these  mounds  have 
been  studied  with  great  interest.  Some  of  them  contain 
skeletons,  with  spool  ornaments  and  tablets  and  copper  relics; 
others  contain  altars  on  which  relics  have  been  offered  and 
burned.  A  few  contain  deposits  of  copper  and  other  relics. 
In  one  case,  viz.:  in  the  Hopewell  Mound,  were  235   pieces  of 


Altar  Burial  in  Hopewell  Mound. 

copper,  carved  into  squares  and  semi-circles,  suastikas,  and 
birds  and  fishes.  A  copper  celt,  which  weighed  thirty-eight 
pounds;  anklets,  bracelets,  combs  and  pendants,  carved  bones 
covered  with  traceries,  which  show  a  high  degree  of  manual 
skill,  were  found  in  this  mound.  A  copper  mask,  eighteen 
inches  long  and  five  wide,  covered  the  forehead  of  a  skeleton, 
from  which  were  branching  horns,  made  out  of  copper.  These 
mounds  were  contained  in  what  is  called  the  Hopewell  Group, 
on  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek. 

Occasionally  mounds  are  found  in  Ohio,  which  are  covered 
with  stone  slabs,  as  if  the  design  was  to  protect  the  bodies 
from  the  attack  of  wild  animals.  Others  are  made  altogether 
of  loose  stones.  Still  others  are  built  so  high,  as  to  give  the 
idea  that  they  were  mainly  designed  for  "look-out  stations." 
One  such  mound  is  found  on  the  Miami  River,  and  commands 
a  view  not  only  of  the  valley  of  the  river,  with  its  forks,  but 
also  of  the  valley  of  the  river  to  the  west  of  it,  and  at  the  same 
time  was  connected,  by  a  cordon  of  mounds,  with  Fort 
Ancient  on  the  Miami  to  the  east.    There  are  also  large  burial 


THE    ADENA    MOUND    NEAR    CHILLICOTHE,  OHIO. 


THE   ADENA    MOUND — PARTLY    EXCAVATED. 


MOUND   CONTAINING   STONE   GRAVES. 


STONE   MOUNDS   CONTAINING   A   SUCCESSION   OF   BURIALS. 


BURIAL   MOUNDS  VIEWED  AS   MONUMENTS.  79 

mounds  at  Vincennes,  on  the  Wabash  River,  which  resemble 
those  in  Ohio,  both  in  size  and  appearance,  and  other  mounds 
at  Grave  Greek  in  West  Virginia. 

The  fair  supposition  is  that  these  groups  of  mounds  in  the 
two  states  adjoming,  formed  a  part  of  the  same  general  sys- 
tem which  prevailed  in  Southern  Ohio,  and  that  they  belonged 
to  a  confederacy,  which  had  its  chief  scat  in  Ohio.  The 
elaborate  system  of  works  at  Portsmouth  forming  a  central 
group  in  which  religious  ceremonies  were  observed.  In  favor 
of  this  supposition,  is  the  fact  that  the  burial  mounds,  forts 
and  village  sites,  are  found  scattered  along  the  valleys  of  the 
different  rivers,  giving  the  idea  that  the  tribes  belonging  to  the 
confederacy  dwelling  on  the  rivers,  were  divided  into  clans, 
each  clan  ha\ing  its  own  village  and,  perhaps,  its  own  burial 
place;  but  all  the  tribes  being  connected  with  one  another  by 
the  signal  stations,  which  consisted  of  mounds  placed  along 
the  summit  of  the  hills.     The  burial  mounds  were  attractive 


Body  Showing  Copper  Mask  and  Copper  Horns. 

externally,  as  they  were  gathered  in  groups  and  were  beauti- 
fully rounded,  and  still  formed  attiactive  objects  in  the  land- 
scape; but  internally  they  often  presented  a  ghastly  appear- 
ance. 

There  are  a  few  stone  mounds  in  Ohio,  some  of  which  are 
covered  with  earth  and  can  hardly  be  distinguished  from  the 
earth  mounds.  The  plates  will  show  their  character.  Sqiiier 
and  Davis  were  the  first  to  describe  them.  V>u\.  Mr.  Girard 
Fowke  has  discovered  others,  two  of  which  are  shown  in  the 
plate.  These  are  quite  different  from  the  stone  graves  in 
Tennessee,  and  are  called  cairns.  The  shingle-like  arrange- 
ment of  the  limestone  distinguishes  them  from  the  stone  graves. 

There  are  double  mounds  found  in  Ohio,  which  are  worthy 
of  notice,  since  they  show  the  succession  of  the  Mound-Build- 
ing people.  One  of  these  has  been  described  by  Mr.  W.  C. 
Mills  and  is  illustrated  by  a  cut.  It  is  called  the  Adena  Mound; 
it  is  within  sight  of  the  mound  city  near  Chillicothe,  and  near 
an  artificial  lake,  from  which  the  earth  composing  it  was  taken. 


80  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

It  was  in  two  parts,  the  relics  being  the  same  in  both,  but  the 
lower  |)art  had  chambers,  or  wooded  rooms,  which  were  prob- 
ably the  houses  and  were  on  the  death  of  the  occupants  made 
use  of  as  a  burying  place  and  covered  with  the  mound. 

V.  The  burial  mounds  which  have  been  discovered  in 
Nortli  Carolina,  West  Virginia  and  Tehnessec  are  worthy  of 
notice.  They  are  not  so  much  burial  mounds,  as  they  are 
burial  pits.  They  have  no  attractiveness  in  themselves,  and 
the  chief  interest  in  them  is  found  in  the  relics  which  they 
contain.  !<"irst,  let  us  consider  the  B(;ehive  Tombs  in  North 
Carolina.  These  have  been  described  by  Prof.  Cyrus  Thomas. 
They  contained  what  are  called  tombs,  made  in  a  conical 
sha[)e,  just  large  enough  to  contain  a  single  body;  ten 
or  twelve  such  tombs  in  a  single  pit.  These  tombs  did  not 
contain  many  relics,  as  there  were  a  number  of  iron  celts 
among  them,  but  along  with  them  were  discoidal  stones,  cop- 
per arrow  points,  copper  arrows,  pieces  of  mica,  lumps  of  paint, 
black  lead,  and  stone  })ipcs.  Under  the  heads  of  two  of  the 
skeletons  were  engraved  shells,  which  resembled  those  found 
in  the  stone  graves  of  Tennessee,  as  they  had  a  coiled  serpent 
engraved  u])on  them,  showing  that  these  shell  gorgets  were 
regarded  i)y  the  Indian  tribes  as  very  sacred,  and  were  kept 
from  generntion  to  generation. 

The  resemblance  between  the  burial  mounds  in  Southern 
Ohio  and  those  in  the  north  of  China  will  be  seen  by  examina- 
tion of  the  cuts,  'ii'he  mounds  are  arranged  in  groups  and  arc 
generally  beside  the  streams.  An  explanation  of  this  cluster- 
ing of  mounds,  especially  in  America,  is  found  in  the  clan  sy.s- 
tem  formerly  prevailing. 

There  is  this  difference  between  the  Chinese  burial  mounds 
and  the  American,  viz.:  that  they  contain  niegalithic  structures, 
but  the  American  contained  burial  stone  cists  made  of  stone 
slabs.  The  only  structures  which  contain  chambers,  are 
those  made  of  wood,  though  occasionally  conical  cists  are 
found  with  a  single  skeleton  enclosed,  though  stone  mounds 
are  somewhat  common  in  Ohio,  as  can  be  seen  from  the  cuts 
contained  in  the  plate. 


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THE  SACRED  ENCLOSURES  OF  OHIO.  81 


CHAPTER  VI. 


THE  "SACRED  ENCLOSURES"  OF  OHIO. 

SUN  WORSHIP  AND  SEPRENT  WORSHIP  EMBODIED  IN  THEM. 

In  treating  of  the  Mound-builders' works  heretofore  we  ha\c 
divided  them  into  several  classes,  and  have  stated  that  the  differ- 
ent classes  were  found  in  different  districts,  the  effigy  mounds  in 
one,  the  burial  mounds  in  another,  the  stockades  in  another, 
the  so-called  "sacred  enclosures"  in  another,  and  the  pyramid 
mounds  in  still  another,  the  whole  habitat  being  filled  with 
works  which  were  distinctive  and  peculiar,  but  which  were  al- 
ways correlated  to  their  surroundings. 

It  may  seem  singular  to  some  that  we  should  thus  divide  the 
earth-works  into  these  different  classes,  and  should  confine  each 
class  to  a  limited  district,  making  them  so  distinct  from  one  an- 
other, but  this  only  proves  that  the  people  who  once  inhabited 
the  Mississippi  valley,  and  whom  we  call  Mound-builders,  were 
far  from  being  one  people,  but  were  very  diverse  in  their  char- 
acter, and  that  their  diversity  expressed  itself  in  their  works, 
their  religious  belief,  their  tribal  organization,  their  social  customs, 
their  domestic  habits,  their  ethnic  taste-",  their  modes  of  life,  all 
having  been  embodied  in  the  tokens  which  we  are  now  studying. 
We  are  to  bear  this  thought  in  mind  while  we  proceed  to  con- 
sider the  works  which  are  said  to  belong  to  the  fourth  class,  and 
which  we  have  named  "  sacred  enclosures".  The  region  where 
these  enclosures  are  most  numerous  is  that  which  is  situated  on 
the  Ohio  River  and  more  specifically  in  the  southern  part  of  the 
State  of  Ohio.  We  shall  therefore  confine  ourselves  to  this  dis- 
trict, but  would  at  the  same  time  have  it  understood  that  it  is 
because  the  works  are  here  so  typical  that  we  treat  them  so  ex- 
clusively. 

We  propose  in  this  chapter  to  consider  the  works  of  this  district 
with  the  especial  view  of  enquiring  about  their  character  and 
their  uses. 

I.  Let  us  first  enquire  about  the  symbolism  which  is  repre- 
sented in  them.  The  works  of  Southern  Ohio  have  been  regarded 
by  many  as  symbolic,  and  the  symbolism  in  them  is  said  by 
some  to  be  that  expressive  of  sun  worship.  What  is  more,  the 
sun  worship  which  appeared  here  seems  to  have  embodied  itself 
in  those  works  which  were  most  common  and  which  were  also 
very  useful,  the  enclosures  which  are  so  numerous  here  having 
been  symbolic. 

I.  This,  then,  is  our  first  enquiry.  Is  there  anything  in  the  shape 


82  PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 

of  the  enclosures  which  should  lead  us  to  think  that  they  were 
distinctive!?  There  are  many  kinds  of  earth-works  in  Southern 
Ohio,  many  of  which  are  of  the  same  character  as  those  found 
elsewhere,  but  the  most  of  them  are  works  which  might  be 
called  enclosures.  These  enclosures  have  a  great  variety  of 
shapes,  and  were  undoubtedly  used  for  different  purposes,  though 
the  purposes  are  now  somewhat  difficult  to  determine.  The 
typical  shape  is  perhaps  that  of  the  square  and  circle,  though  there 
are  many  circles  without  squares  and  squares  without  circles,  the 
variation  passing  from  one  figure  to  the  other.  Many  of  the 
enclosures  are  irregular,  with  no  definite  shape;  others,  however, 
have  shapes  which  are  so  definite  and  regular  as  to  give  the  idea 
that  they  were  symbolic — the  crescent,  the  circle,  the  horse-shoe, 
the  ellipse,  the  cross,  and  many  other  symbols  being  embodied 
in  them.  Some  of  the  enclosures  are  very  large,  the  walls  about 
them  being  several  miles  iu  length,  giving  the  idea  that  ihey 
were  used  for  defensive  purposes  ;  others  are  very  small,  the  dis- 
tance across  them  being  only  a  few  feet,  giving  the  idea  that  they 
were  lodge  circles.  Some  of  the  enclosures  are  full  of  burial 
mounds;  others  contain  no  mounds  whatever,  but  are  mere  open 
areas,  areas  which  may  have  been  used  for  village  residence^^. 
Some  of  the  enclosures  are  made  up  by  single  walls,  walls  on 
which  possible  stockades  may  have  been  erected ;  others  have 
double  walls,  a  ditch  being  between  them.  Some  oi  them  are 
isolated  circles,  enclosures  separated  from  all  others  ;  others  pre- 
sent circles  in  clusters,  the  clusters  arranged  in  circles,  so  making 
an  enclosure  within  an  enclosure.  It  is  remarkable  that  there 
should  have  been  so  many  different  shapes  to  the  earth-works  in 
this  region.  These  shapes  vary  from  the  circle  to  the  ellipse, 
from  the  ellipse  to  the  oblong,  from  the  oblong  to  the  square, 
from  the  square  to  the  large,  irregular  enclosure.  A  map  ot  the 
region  looks  like  a  chart  which  contains  all  the  geometric  figures, 
and  astonishes  one  when  he  thinks  that  these  are  earth-works 
containing  areas,  all  of  which  were  once  used  for  practical  pur- 
poses, and  embodied  the  life  of  the  people.  See  map  of  works  in 
the  Scioto  valley.  The  uses  to  which  these  enclosures  were  subject 
are  unknown ;  it  is  supposed  that  some  of  them  were  for  defenses  ; 
others  for  villages;  some  of  them  were  undoubtedly  used  for  burial 
places;  others  for  sacrificial  purposes;  some  of  them  were  the 
sites  of  houses,  mere  lodge  circles;  others  were  enclosures  in 
which  temples  were  undoubtedly  erected;  some  of  them  were 
used  as  places  of  amusement,  dance  circles  and  race  courses  , 
others  were  probably  used  as  places  of  religious  assembly,  estufas 
or  sacred  houses;  some  of  them  contain  effigies,  the  effigies 
giving  to  them  a  religious  significance. 

2.  The  symbolic  character  of  the  enclosures  is  the  next  point 
of  enquiry.  This  has  impressed  many  writers;  for  this  reason  they 
have  been  called  sacred  enclosures.     The  term  has  been  criticised 


THE  SACRED  ENCLOSURES  OF  OHIO. 


83 


and  rejected  by  some,  but  it  seems  to  us  appropriate,  and  we 
shall  use  it  as  being  expressive  of  the  real  character  of  the  works 
of  the  region.  We  take  up  the  enclosures  of  this  district  with 
the  idea  that  many  of  them  were  used  for  sacred  purposes,  and 
that  a  peculiar  superstition  was  embodied  in  the  most  of  them. 
What  that  superstition  was  we  are  not  quite  prepared  to  say,  but 
the  conjecture  is  that  sun  worship  here  obtained  in  great  force. 
It  sometimes  seems  as  if  the  sun  worship  was  joined  with  ser- 
pent worship,  and  that  the  phallic  symbol  was  given  by  some  of 
the  earth -works.  Whether  these  works  were  all  used  by  one 
people,  a  people  who  were  acquainted  with  all  of  the  symbols 
spoken  of,  or  were  erected  by  successive  races,  one  using  one 
symbol  and  the  other  another,  is  a  question.  Be  that  as  it  may, 
we  conclude  that  the  district 
is  full  of  earth-works  which 
were  symbolic  in  their  char- 
acter, and  which  are  properly 
called  sacred  enclosures. 

We  give  a  series  of  cuts  to 
illustrate  these  points.  These 
are  actual  earth-works.  One 
is  the  temple  platform,  found 
at  Marietta  (Fig.  i);  the  sec- 
ond is  a  platform  with  the  ad- 
joining circular  enclosure, 
found  at  Highbank  (Fig,  2); 
the  third  is  the  small  circle  with 
the  small  enclosure  within  it,  found  opposite  Portsmouth  (Fig.  3). 
These  earth-works  are  all  small,^ranging  from  50  to  150  feet  in 
diameter.  The  fourth  is  the  large  double  enclosure  consisting 
of  the  square  and  circle,  found  at  Circleville  (Fig.  4);  the  fifth  is 
the  large  octagon  and  circle,  found  at  Newark  (Fig.  5).  The  last 
two  enclosures  might  be  measured  b\-  rods,  as  there  are  about 
as  many  rods  in  them  as  there  are  feet  in  the  former  works.  The 
map  of  the  works  at  Portsmouth  (Fig.  6)  contains  many  other 
figures,  viz  :  Four  concentric  circles  at  one  end,  two  horse-shoe 
enclosures  and  circles  in  the  center,  a  large  square  enclosure  at 
the  west  end,  the  whole  making  a  very  elaborate  and  complicatd 
system  of  symbolic  works,  the  religious  element  being  every- 
where manifest  in  the  locality. 

3.  Let  us  next  consider  the  symbols  which  we  may  regard 
as  typical  and  peculiar  to  the  district.  We  have  said  that  there 
are  different  kinds  of  enclosures  in  this  region,  but  the  enclosure 
which  is  the  most  striking  is  the  one  composed  of  two  figures — 
the  circle  and  the  square  and  combination.  This  is  not  only 
common  in  the  district,  but  is  peculiar  to  it,  as  it  is  very  seldom 
seen  elsewhere.  The  reasons  for  this  particular  type  of  earth- 
work being  found  in  Southern  Ohio  are  unknown.     It  would 


Fif/.  1. — Platform  at  Marietta. 


84 


PRIMITIVJ:  ARCHITECTURE. 


seem,  however,  as  if  the  people  which  formerly  dwelt  here  had 
reached  a  particular  stage  of  progress,  had  adopted  a  particular 
social  organization,  had  practiced  a  particular  set  of  customs,  and 
had  made  these  earth-works  to  be  expressive  of  them.  It  some- 
times seems  also  as  if  a  peculiar  religious  cult  had  been  adopted 
and  that  this  was  embodied  and  symbolized  in  the  earth-works. 
The  figures  ot  the  square  and  circle  were  probably  symbolic,  and 
the  religion  which  was  embodied  in  them  was  probably  sun 
worship.  How  sun  worship  came  to  be  adopted  by  the  people 
is  a  mystery.  It  may  have  arisen  in  connection  with  serpent 
worship,  the  two  having  been  the  outgrowth  of  the  natural  super- 
stition, and  so  might  be  pronounced  to  be  indigenous  in  this 
region,  or  they  may  have  been  introduced  from  other  and  distant 
localities,  either  from  Great  Britain,  by  way  of  the  Atlantic 
Ocean,  or  from  the  Asiatic  continent,  by  way  of  the  Pacific — 
Mexico  and  Central  America  having  been  the  original  starting 
point  on  this  continent,   and  the  cult  having  spread  from  the 

central  place  over  the 
^^^b^  continent  eastward. 
Prof  F.  W.  Putnam 
in  his  article  on  the 
great  serpent  takes 
the  latter  position,  and 
says,  "To  this  south- 
western region,  with 
its  many  Asiatic  fea- 
tures of  art  and  faith, 
we      are      constantly 

Mg.  2— Platform  and  Circle  at  Highbank.  forced  by  OUr  investi- 

gations as  we  look  for  the  source  of  the  builders  of  the  older 
works  of  the  Ohio  Valley."  He  refers,  however,  to  the  com- 
bination of  natural  features  with  artificial  forms  contained  in  the 
great  serpent,  and  says  this  probably  could  not  be  found  again 
in  any  part  of  the  great  route  along  which  the  people  must  have 
journeyed.  He  refers  to  the  remarkable  discovery  by  Dr.  Phene 
of  an  interesting  mound  in  Argyleshire,  in  Scotland,  as  contain- 
ing the  same  elements,  the  natural  hill  and  the  artificial  shape 
giving  evidence  of  serpent  worship  in  the  serpent  form,  the  altar 
or  burial  place  at  one  end  forming  the  head,  and  the  standing 
stones  along  the  ridge  marking  the  serpent's  spine.  These  facts 
would  indicate  that  serpent  worship  in  Ohio  had  come  from 
Great  Britain  and  had  been  first  introduced  by  the  mound-build- 
ers here.  Possibly  the  serpent  worship  in  Mexico  may  have 
been  introduced  from  the  other  side  by  way  of  Polynesia. 

4.  The  inquiry  which  we  are  to  institute  next  is  whether 
serpent  worship  and  sun  worship  in  Ohio  were  not  prac- 
ticed by  two  classes  of  people,  the  one  the  successors  to  the 
other.     This  inquiry  will  be  borne  in  mind  as  we  proceed  to  the 


^W^if'^^^^mM^^S'^^^^ff'^' 


THE  SACRED  ENCLOSURES  OF  OHIO. 


85 


description  ot  the  enclosures.  The  Natchez  were  sun  worship- 
ers. There  is  a  tradition  that  the  Natchez  once  inhabited  Southern 
Ohio.  The  Dakotas  had  the  serpent  symbol  among  them.  There 
is  a  tradition  that  the  Dakotas  once  dwelt  in  Ohio.  This  would 
show  that  the  two  cults  were  successive  rather  than  contempor- 
aneous. It  must  be  remembered  that  the  symbolism  of  the  early 
races  of  mound-builders  was  frequently  combined  with  practical 
uses.  The  religion  or  superstition  of  the  people  required  that 
defensive  enclosures,  as  well  as  village  sites,  should  embody  the 
symbols  as  thoroughly  as  did  the  places  of  sacrifice  or  the  burial 
places.  The  earth-works  of  Southern  Ohio  have  been  called 
sacred  enclosures.  If  our  supposition  is  true  the  term  is  a  cor- 
rect one.  They  were  village  enclosures,  but  were  at  the  same 
time  sacred  to  the  sun.  We  shall  take  the  enclosures  which  are 
typical  and  ask  the  question  whether  these  were  not  the  villages 
of  sun  worshippers. 

5.     Let  us  examine   the   district,  and  compare  it  with  other 
districts  where  sun  worship  _^^  .;^se;^=. ..^s,  =.  -_  =_-  ^     ^^..„ 

has  existed.  We  learn  about  -^^^^^Wi/"y^4¥^^Si^-^^ 

the  district  and  its  limits 
from  the  character  of  the 
earth-works.  This  partic- 
ular class  of  earth-works 
which  we  are  describing  is 
only  found  in  a  limited  dis- 
trict. vVe  begin  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Muskingum 
River,  where  are  the  inter- 
esting works    of  Marietta. 

This  river  has  a  number  of ^ 

enclosures  upon  it.  We  pass  '  "' 

next       to       the         Hocking  Fig.S.-drcle  at  P<yrtsmouth. 

Creek,  where  the  enclosures  are  not  so  numerous,  and  yet 
the  same  class  of  works  abound  here.  Next  comes  the 
Scioto  River,  with  its  very  interesting  series  of  earth  works, 
those  at  Portsmouth,  Chillicothe  and  Circleville  being  the  most 
prominent.  Paint  Creek  and  Brush  Creek  flow  into  the  Scioto. 
On  these  there  are  some  very  interesting  earth  works,  the 
majority  of  them  being  village  enclosures.  Next  to  this  is 
Adams  County,  the  County  in  which  the  great  serpent  is  situated, 
the  Brush  Creek  in  this  county  being  different  from  that  which 
flows  into  the  Scioto.  We  then  pass  over  two  or  three  counties 
until  we  reach  the  Little  Miami  River.  Here  we  find  the  remark- 
able fort  called  Fort  Ancient,  and  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  at 
Cincinnati,  village  enclosures.  These  enclosures  are,  to  be  sure, 
now  destroyed,  but  descriptions  of  them  have  been  preserved, 
and  trom  these  we  find  that  they  were  very  similar  to  those 
situated  on  Paint  Creek  and  on  the  Scioto  River.     Passing  still 


ms^^SH^^mS^ 


86 


PRIMITIVE  ARCUITECTUKE. 


further  to  the  west,  we  come  to  the  Great  Miami.  The  works  on 
this  river  are  mainly  fortifications  and  large  lookout  mounds; 
the  fortifications  at  Hamilton,  Colerain  and  Piqua.and  the  look- 
out at  Miamisburg,  being  most  prominent.  There  are,  however, 
at  Alexandria  and  several  other  places  village  enclosures  of 
exactly  the  same  type  as  those  found  at  Chillicothe.  This  takes 
us  across  the  State  of  Ohio.  The  White  River  is  a  branch  of 
the  Great  Miami.  It  rises  in  the  central  part  of  the  State  of 
Indiana  and  flows  southeast.  The  White  River  seems  to  have 
marked  the  boundary  of  this  particular  class  of  works.  There 
are  no  village  enclosures  of  the  type  found  in  Ohio  west  of  the 
White  River.  If  there  are,  we  are  not  aware  of  their  existence. 
There  are,  to  be  sure,  many  large  forts  or  defensive  enclosures 
scattered  along  the  Ohio  River  on  both  sides,  but  they  are  not 
works  which  we  would  call  village  enclosures.  The.se  forts  have 
been  described  by  various  writers,  the  most  prominent  of  them 

being  the  one  in  Clark 
County,  near  Charles- 
town,  Ind.,  which  has 
been  described  by  Prof. 
E.  T.  Cox.*  As' to  the 
northern  boundary  of 
the  district,  we  find  it 
on  the  watershed,  where 
the  rivers  flow  both 
ways,  to  the  north  and 
to  the  south.  Here  a 
line  of  earth-works  is 
found  extending  across 
the  State,  about  the  same  distance  from  the  Ohio  River.  It  makes 
a  cordon  of  village  enclosures,  some  of  them  being  as  important 
as  any  found  in  the  State.  Among  these  are  the  works  at  Circle- 
ville,  Newark,  Alexandersville,  near  Dayton,  and  the  works  on  the 
White  River,  at  Cambridge  and  New  Garden,  in  Wayne  County,! 
all  of  them  being  near  the  head  of  canoe  navigation. 

We  have  thus  given  the  map  of  the  district.  It  is  a  map  which 
thus  includes  all  the  earth-works — military,  sacred,  village  enclos- 
ures, effigies,  lookouts  and  all.  We  do  not  ascribe  them  all  to 
one  period  nor  to  one  race,  but  we  speak  of  them  as  found  in  the 
district.  The  typical  work  is  the  enclosure,  the  village  enclosures 
being  more  numerous  than  the  defensive.  We  have  thought 
best  to  call  it  by  the  name  of  the  district  of  the  village  enclos- 
ures, though  the  term  sacred  enclosures  is  appropriate.  We  see 
in  this  map  the  locality  which  was  occupied  by  sun  worshipers. 
It  is  also  a  locality  in  which  serpent  worship  appeared  to  be 
prevalent. 


Fig. 


-Circle  and  fiqiiure  at  Circleville. 


*  See  Geological  Surve.v  of  Indiana,  1873.  p.  122.  ,   „  „  „^ 

tSee  Geological  Report  of  Indiana,  1878,  description,  Mr.  .7.  C.  McPherson. 


THE  SACRED  EXCJ.OSURES  OF  ollU). 


87 


6.  Let  us  consider  the  symbolism  in  the  shapes  and  sizes  of  the 
enclosures.  We  have  said  that  the  shape  was  that  of  the  square 
and  circle.  This  shape  is  everywhere  present  within  the  district, 
though  with  variations.  It  is  remarkable  that  there  should  be 
such  a  uniformity.  It  does  not  seem  likely  that  the  uniformit\- 
would  rise  from  accident,  but  it  is  more  likely  thatthcre  was  a  sig- 
nificance to  it.  The  uniformity  has  impressed  many  authors. 
The  early  explorers  all  mention  it  as  a  very  striking  element  in 
the  earth-works  of  the  region.  There  has  been  a  degree  of 
skepticism  in  reference  to  this  point,  but  the  recent  survey  by 
the  Ethnological  Bureau  confirms  the  old  impression.  The 
statements  of  the  early  explorers  arc  confirmed  by  the  last  sur- 
vey. We  give  here  a  few^ 
fragmentary  quotations  to 
show  that  this  is  the  case. 
The  old  authors  claimed  that 
the  squares  were  perfect 
squares,  the  circles  perfect 
circles.  The  new  exploration 
seems  to  confirm  this  rather 
than  to  refute  it.  We  take 
the  enclosures  in  the  Scioto 
Valley  to  illustrate.  There 
are  perhaps  more  typical 
works  in  this  valley  than  any- 
where else  in  the  State.  The 
following  is  the  testimony  of 
Dr.  Thomas  in  reference  to 
these.  ''The  circle  at  High- 
bank. is  a  perfect  one."  "  The 
old  survey  agrees  closely  with 
the  new  survey."  "Thecircles 
at  Paint  Creek  have  geomet- 
rical regularity."  "  The  fig- 
ures of  the  works  which 
were  personally  examined  by  Squier  and  Davis  are  generally 
correct."  "The  circle  at  Highbank  is  similar  in  size  and  other  re- 
spects to  the  observatory  circle  at  Newark,  and.  like  that,  is 
connected  with  an  octagon."  "We  see  in  this  group  the  tendency 
to  combine  circles,  octagons  and  parallels  as  at  Newark,  making 
it  probable  that  the  works  at  both  points  are  due  to  one  people. 
According  to  Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis  the  circle  is  a  perfect 
one.  The  diameter,  which,  as  will  be  seen  by  what  follows,  agrees 
very  closely  with  the  results  of  the  re-survey."  "The  somewhat 
unexpected  results  in  this  and  the  observatory  circle  are,  first, 
that  the  figure  is  so  nearly  a  true  circle,  and,  second,  that  the 
radius  is  an  almost  exact  multiple  of  the  surveyor's  chain."  These 
remarkable  admissions  are  made  by  one  who  denies  their  Euro- 


l|      30  ACRES  11        ^**^^|, 


Fiff.  5— Octagon  and  Circlr  at  Newark. 


88  PIIIMITIVP:  AUCHITECTUKE. 

pean  origin  and  who  makes  them  the  work  of  Indians  similar  to 
the  modern  tribes,  and  who  says  there  is  nothing  in  the  form  or 
arrangement   that   is   inconsistent   with   the    Indian  usages  and 
ideas,  and  nothmg  in  their  form  or  construction  consistent  with 
the  idea  that  their  conception  is  due  to  European  influence.    With 
these  admissions  we  are  warranted  in  going  back  to  the  first 
descriptions   which    were  given   by  the  early   explorers,  and  to 
speak  of  these  works  as  perfect  squares  and  perfect  circles,  and 
to  draw  our  conclusions   that  they  were   symbolic   as  well   as 
practical  or  useful  structures.     Mr.  Atwater  speaks  of  the  circle 
in  the  village  enclosures  at  Paint  Creek,  and  says  "the  area  of 
the  squares  was  just  twenty-seven  acres."     Squier  and  Davis  also 
speak  of  this  area  of  twenty-seven  acres  bemg  a  common  one. 
The    comparison  is    drawn  by   Squier  and  Davis   between   the 
works  at  Newark  and  those  at  Hopeton  and  Paint  Creek.     Ex- 
traordinary   coincidences    are    exhibited    between    the    details, 
though  the  works  are  seventy  miles  apart.      He  says  the  square 
has  the  same  area  with  the  rectangle  belonging  to  the  Hopeton 
works  and  with  the  octagon  belonging  to  Highbank.     The  octa- 
gon has  the  same  area  with  the  large  irregular  square  at  Marietta, 
a  place  which  is  still  further  away  from  Newark.     The  conviction 
is  forced  upon  us,  notwithstanding  all  the  skepticism  that  has 
existed,  that  there  was  a  common  measurement,  and  that  the 
square  and  circle  were  symbolic,  though  we  do  not  say  whether 
they  were  erected  by  Indians  or  by  some  other  people. 

7.  Another  argument  is  found  in  the  fact  that  walls  in  the 
shape  of  crescents  are  very  common.  These  crescent-shaped 
walls  are  generally  found  inside  of  the  smaller  circle  and  consti- 
tute a  double  wall  around  a  portion  of  the  circle.  There  are 
also  many  works  where  there  are  concentric  circles,  containing 
a  mound  in  the  center,  whose  shape  would  indicate  that  it  was 
devoted  to  sun  worship  and  whose  contents  would  prove  that 
they  were  used  for  religious  purposes.  A  notable  specimen  of 
this  is  lound  at  Portsmouth,  where  there  are  four  concentric  cir- 
cles and  a  mound  in  the  center,  the  situation  and  height  of  the 
mound  giving  the  impression  to  the  early  explorers  that  it  was 
used  for  religious  purposes  and  was  a  sun  symbol.  Concentric 
circles  and  circles  containing  crescents  and  mounds  are  also 
spoken  of  by  Mr.  Caleb  Atwater  as  having  been  found  at  Paint 
Creek  and  at  Circleville.  The  large  irregular  enclosure  at  one 
of  these  works  contained  seventy-seven  acres,  and  had  eight 
gateways,  another  had  eighty-four  acres  and  six  gateways;  but 
outside  of  one  of  these  enclosures  was  a  third  circle  sixty  rods 
in  diameter,  in  the  center  of  which  was  a  similar  circle  about  six 
rods  in  diameter,  or  about  one  tenth  of  the  larger  circle.  Here 
we  have  the  large  enclosures  which  were  undoubtedly  used  for 
village  sites,  but  at  the  same  time  we  have  small  circles  that  were 
probably  used  for  religious  purposes. 


-'^■^-  j^'^  ■-'*«?.-' jS.""-'l^: '^i^^^'^iJ-fi^'^jy;^: 


IICKIHO        CODMTT. 


t  >f  Aosf't^  mtt 


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«iCSi»  ...y'-'-,     < — „  ^  ,./r,-.     I 


FORTIFIED    ENCLOSURES   IN   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


„   .....  >  -i^r-'-- 


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rv..^!'-' .'■vV.'H^*r  ,-^x^•,•■ 
^■.'  '  ■',•'  .I^■J■■'  ■■.'.••:■• 

feci  J  lraj%'»'  '^^s  <;    '!' 


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THE  SACRED  ENCLOSURES  UF  OHIO.  8!> 

Mr.  Atvvater  thinks  that  the  large  circles  were  used* for  re- 
ligious as  well  as  for  practical  purposes.  He  speaks  of  the 
circle  at  Circleville.  This  was  sixty-nine  rods  in  diameter, 
the  walls  were  twenty  feet  high,  measuring  from  the  bottom 
of  the  ditch,  there  being  two  walls,  one  inside  of  the  other, 
with  a  ditch  between.  Within  the  circle  there  was  a  round 
mound,  ten  feet  high,  thirty  feet  in  diameter  at  the  top,  and  around 
the  mound  a  crescent-shaped  pavement  made  of  pebbles,  about 
sixty  feet  in  diameter.  This  mound  contained  two  bodies  and  a 
number  of  relics  A  large  burial  mound  ninety  feet  high  stood 
outside  of  the  circle.  The  contrast  between  the  circle  and  the 
square  atrracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  Atwater.  The  circle  had 
two  high  walTsTthe square  only  one.  The  circle  had  a  ditch  be- 
tween the  walls,  the  square  had  no  ditch.  The  circle  had  only 
one  gateway,  the  square  had  eight  gateways  The  circle  was 
picketed,  "half  way  up  the  inner  walls  was  a  place  where  a  row 
of  pickets  stood,  pickets  which  were  used  for  the  defense  of  the 
circle."  These  facts  are  significant.  They  seem  to  indicate  that 
the  villages  were  surrounded  by  walls  which  secured  them  from 
attack;  but  that  there  was  a  symbolism  in  the  shape  of  the  walls 
as  well  as  in  the  shape  of  the  mounds  and  pavements  and  con- 
tents of  the  mounds.  In  these  respects  the  villages  would  be 
called  sacred  enclosures. 

8.  Still  another  argument  is  derived  from  the  variation  in 
the  typical  torm.  At  Marietta  we  have  two  squares  and  no 
circle'except  as  a  circle  surrounds  the  conical  mound  or  lookout 
-Station.  At  Highbank  and  Hopeton  we  have  the  circle  and  the 
square,  and  several  other  small  circles  adjoining.  At  Liberty 
Township  we  have  the  square,  three  circles  and  a  crescent.  At 
Cedarbank  we  have  a  square  with  a  platform  inside  of  it,  but  no 
circle.  At  Newark  we  have  the  octagon  instead  of  the  square. 
At  Clark's  Works  we  have  the  square,  a  large  irregular  inclosure 
and  the  circle  inside.  At  Seal  Township  we  have  the  square 
and  circle  and  several  elliptical  works.  At  Dunlap's  Work.s  we 
have  the  rhomboidal  figure  and  a  small  circle  adjoining.  Still, 
the  typical  shape  is  the  same  throughout  the  entire  region. 

II.  We  now  turn  to-a  new  point.  The  inquiry  is  whether  the 
enclosures  which  we  have  seen  to  be  so  symbolic  were  not  the 
village  sites  of  a  class  of  sun  worshipers.  This  inquiry  v/ill  be 
conducted  in  an  entirely  different  way  from  the  former.  We  are 
now  to  look  not  so  much  for  the  symbolic  shapes  as  for  the 
practical  uses.  We  maintain  that  whether  they  were  symbolic 
or  not  the  majority  of  the  enclosures  were  used  for  villages.  We 
shall  first  consider  the  characteristics  of  village  enclosures  gen- 
erally, show  what  a  village  was  supposed  to  contain,  and  then 
compare  these  in  Ohio  with  others  to  show  that  they  were  also 
village  enclosures. 

I.     We  turn  to  the  Ohio  villages,  and  are  to  ask  what  their 


90  PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURK. 

characteristics   are.     These   were  composed   of  the    foUowin^ 
elements:     First,  the  circumvallation,  includin((  the  jjatevvays; 
second,  the    contents,  includin<r    the    phittorm    mounds,  hurial 
mounds,  excavations  and  other  works;  third,  the  lod<^e  circles 
adjoinin<(   the   villarje  enclosures,  some  of  them  constituting  a 
third  part   of  the   village,  scarcely   separated   Irom   the   larger 
enclosures,  some  of  them  being  quite  remote  from  the  village; 
fourth,  the  parallel  walls  or  covered  ways.     These  were  a  very 
important  element  in  connection  with  the  village  life.     Fifth,  the 
so-called  embankments,  which  iVtwater  says   were  enclosures 
for  diversion   or   tor  games,  many   of  which    were  found  at  an 
early  day  in  the  valley  of  the  Scioto,  but  which  had  disappeared 
before  the  survey  of  the  works  took  place;  sixth,  the  circles 
which  are  gathered  in  clusters  at   certain   points,  remote  from 
the  villages,  which  we  call  the  dance  circles;  seventh,  the  look- 
out mounds  and  observatories.     These  works  were  all  associated 
and  all  served  different  parts  in  connection  with  village  life.    We 
see    in   them,    ist,   provisions  for    defense,  the   circumvallation 
giving  defense  to  the  villages,  the  covered  ways  also  protecting 
the  people  as  they  went  to  and  from  the  villages  to  the  water's 
edge;  the  lookouts  on  the  summits   of  the  hills  furnishing  de- 
fense for  not  only  one  village,  but  for  many.     We  see,  2d,  pro- 
visions   for    religion.     The    character    of    the    earth-works    is 
suggestive   of  religious  practices.     They   are,  many   of  them, 
enclosures,    symbolical    in    shape,   elliptical,    circular,    pyram- 
idal.    Some  of  them  were  probably  temples,  the  truncated  pyr- 
amids  being  the  foundation  platforms.     The  same  office  was 
filled  by  some  of  the  s.iT-aller  circles,  for  these  were  undoubtedly 
used  for  estufas,  sweat  houses,  or  assembly  places,  and  many 
of  them    were  convenient  of  access  to  the  village  enclosure. 
3d.  The  provisions  made  for  amusement,  feasts,  dances  can  be 
recognized  in  the  oblong  embankments  and  the  groups  of  small 
circles.     4th.  The  provision  made  for  water  is  found  in  numer- 
ous wells  spoken  of  bv  the  early  explorers,  and  in  the  walls 
which  surround  them,  and  in  certain  ponds  near  the  enclosures. 
5th.   Provision  was  made  for  safe  cultivation  of  fields  in  covered 
ways  which  passed  out  from  the  enclosure  to  the  open  country, 
and  in  the  watch  towers  which  were  placed  at  the  ends  of  these. 
There  were  many  openings  in  the  covered  way,  which  gave 
egress  from  the  villages  to  the  fields  in  every  direction.    6th.  Pro- 
vision was  made  for  navigation  and  the  safety  of  the  canoes  by 
running  the  covered  ways  down  to  the  water's  edge,  and  there 
making  a  grade,  which  should  be  like  a  levee,  for  the  landing 
of  the  canoes.     All  these  peculiarities  indicate  plainly  that  vil- 
lage life  was  the  factor  which  ruled.     Everything  was  subser- 
vient to  this. 

If  we  take  the  number  and  sizes  of  the  enclo  ures,  and  then 
look  at  their  situation  and  all  their  surroundings,  and  consider 
the  fertility  of  the  plains  in  which  they  were  located,  we  will 


THE  SACRED  EKCLOSUKES  OF  OHIO.  91 

have  a  remarkable  picture  of  village  life.  It  seems  almost  like 
an  Arcadia.  The  people  seem  to  have  been  prosperous,  and  to 
have  dwelt  in  oeace  and  security.  The  population  was  dtnse. 
The  organization  was  complete.  Religion  had  its  strong  hold 
upon  the  people;  the  people  lived  and  died  and  were  buried 
with  the  sacred  religious  rites  observed  on  all  occasions.  They 
filled  their  altars  with  offerings  to  the  great  sun  divinity.  The 
most  costly  sacrifices  were  made;  pipes  and  beads,  carved  stone, 
pearls,  many  precious  works  of  art  were  thus  consecrated  with 
great  ceremonials.  But  the  scene  changed.  The  invasion  of 
an  enemy  drove  them  from  their  seats.  Their  villages  became 
the  seats  of  bloody  warfare.  They  were  obliged  to  leave  their 
abodes;  other  tribes  came  in  and  occupied  their  villages. 

2.     We  now  turn  to  the   specific   locations   and  give  descrip- 
tions  of  the  works.     We   first  conunence   with  the   works   at 
Marietta  and  quote  the  language  of  the  Rev.  Dr.  Harris,  who 
with  Rev.  Dr.  Cutler,  examined  them  and  furnished  a  lull  de- 
scription of  it.     The  following  is  their  account:     The  situation 
of  these  works  is  on   an   elevated   plain  on   the  east  side  of  the 
Muskingum,  about  half  a  mile  from  its  junction  with  the  Ohio. 
The  largest  square  fort,  by  some  called  the  town,  contains  iorly 
acres,  encompassed  by  a  wall  ot  earth  from  six  to  ten  feet  high, 
and  from  twenty-five  to  thirty-six  feet  in  breadth.     In  each  side 
are  three  openings,  resembling  twelve  gateways.     A  covered 
way  formed  of  two  parallel  walls  of  earth  231  feet  distant  from 
each  other,  measuring  from  center  to  center.     The  walls  at  the 
most   elevated    part   inside  are  twenty-one  feet  in  height;  the 
.     outside  only  average  five  feet  in  height.     This  formed  a  passage 
about  680  feet  in  length,  leading  by  gradual  descent  to  the  low 
ground,  where,  at    the    time    of  its    construction,    it    probably 
reached  the  river.     The  bottom  is  crowned  in  the  center,  in  the 
manner  of  a  well-founded  turnpike  road.     Within  the  walls  of 
the  fort  at  the  northwest  corner  is  an  elevated  square  188  feet 
long,  132  broad,  9  high,  level  on  the  summit.     At  the  center  of 
each  of  the  sides  are  gradual  ascents  sixty  feet  in  length.     Near 
the  south  wall  is  another  elevated   square,  150  by    120  feet,  8 
feet  high ;  but  instead  of  an  ascent  to  go  up  on  the  side  next  the 
wall,  there  is  a  hollow  way,  ten  feet  wide,  leading  twenty  feet 
toward  the  center,  with   a  gradual  slope  to  the  top.     At  the 
other  end  is  a  third  elevated  square,  108x54  feet,  with  ascents 
at  the  end.     At  the  southwest  corner  is  a  semi-circular  parapet 
crowned  with  a  mound,  which  guards  the  opening  in  the  wall. 
The  smaller  fort,  contains  twenty  acres,  with  a  gateway  in  the 
center  of  each  corner.     These  gateways  are  defended  by  circu- 
lar mounds.     On  the  outside  of  the  smaller  fort  is  a  mound  in 
the  form  of  a  sugar  loaf,  of  a  magnitude  and  height  which  strike 
the  beholder  with  astonishment.     It  base  is  a  regular  circle,  115 
feet  in  diameter;  its  altitude  is  30  feet.     It  is  surrounded  by  a 
ditch  4  feet  deep  and  15  wide,  and  defended  by  a  parapet  4  feet 


<j2  TRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 

high,  through  which  is  a  gateway  towards  the  fort  20  feet  in 
width.*     See  Plate. 

The  description  of  this  one  village  will  indicate  the  elements 
which  were  common  in  all  the  villages,  the  square  enclosures, 
the  graded  ways,  lookout  mounds,  protecting  walls,  wells,  etc., 
being  found  in  nearly  ever}'  village. 

It  shows  also  the  religious  ideas  which  were  embodied  in 
many  of  the  village  enclosures,  the  platform  mounds  and  the 
circle  about  the  lookout  mounds  having  probably  been  used  as 
symbols  as  well  as  defenses.  This  same  combination  of  symbols 
with  defenses  is  seen  more  fully  in  the  elaborate  system  of  works 
found  at  Portsmouth.  These  works  seem  to  have  been  erected 
for  purely  religious  purposes,  and  we  recognize  many  .symbols 
in  them,  the  square  at  one  end,  the  concentric  circle  at  the  other 
end,  and  the  horse-shoe,  the  crescent  and  several  other  symbols 
in  the  central  group,  the  whole  connected  by  a  wall  seven  or 
eight  miles  long. 

III.     We  now  turn  to  the  enclosures  of  Ohio,  but  are  to  con- 
sider them  in  their  defensive  capacity.     There   are  three  pecu- 
liarities to  earth-works  of  this  region,  namely  :  the  large  major- 
ity of  them  are  enclosures;  second,  many  of  the  enclosures  are 
symbolic  in  shape,  the  circle  and  square  being  the  most  prevalent 
symbol ;    third,   the  majority  of  the  symbolic  works   are   very 
strongly  fortified,  nearly  every  place  which  the  sun  worshipers 
occupied  having  been  furnished  with  a   strong  and  heavy  earth 
wall,  which  served  as  a  protection  to  them.     The  classification 
of  the  works  of  the  sun  worshipers  reveals  to  us  a  great  variety 
of  uses,  the  most  of  them,  however,  being  such  uses  as  would 
be  connected  with  village  life.     Rut  with  the  uses  we  discover 
that  defense  was  as  much  sought  for  as  was  convenience.     It  is 
remarkable  that  there  were  so  many  walled  enclosures  in  this 
region,  but  the  fact  that  there  was  danger  always  threatening  the 
people  from  a  lurking  foe  will  account  for  these.     They  needed 
to  defend  themselves  on  all  occasions,  and  so  they  never  resorted 
to  a  place  of  worship  or  amusement,  they  never   went  to  a  sac- 
rificial place,  they  never  even  went  to  the  fields  or  to  the  water's 
edge,  but  that  they  must  have  a  wall  to  protect  them.     We  have 
dwelt  upon  the  symbolism  which  was  embodied  in  their  works, 
but  we  might   dwell  even  longer  upon  the  view  of  the  defense 
provided  by  them.     It  will  suffice,  however,  to  say  that  symbol- 
ism and  defense  were  often  united,  the  superstition  about  the 
symbol  giving  them  a  sense  of  security  as  much  as  the  earth- 
works gave  them  actual  safety.     We  have  only  to  look  at  the 
different  works  found  in  any  one  locality  to  see  the  wonderful 
combination. 

I.  Let  us  ask  what  works  there  are  and  what  uses  we  may  dis- 


*See  Harris's  Tour,  p.  169. 


THE  SACRED  ENCLOSURES  OF  OHIO.  93 

cover  in  them.     We  have  first  the  village  defenses.     'T'his  we 
see  was  always  protected  by  a  circumvallation.     This  circumval- 
lation  was  generally  in  the  shape  of  a  square  and  a  circle,  but 
the  circle  was  always  protected  by  a  high  wall  and  sometimes  by 
two  such  walls,  and  the  openings  in  the  wall  of  the  square  were 
always  protected  by  a  watch  tower  or  additional  platform  guard 
on  the  inside.     Second,  there  were  near  the  villages  many  forti- 
fied hill-tops,  places  to  which  the  villagers  could  resort  in  times 
of  attack.     These  fortified  hills   were   generally  located  in  the 
midst  of  several  villages,  so  that  they  could  be  easily  reached  by 
all.      Third,  the  sacrificial  places  and  the  places   of  religious 
assembly  were  always   provided  with   circumvallations  or  long 
covered  ways.     Nothing  of  a  religious  nature  was  ever  under- 
taken unless  the  people  could  be  protected   by  a  wall.     Fourth, 
we  find  that  the  sweat-houses,  so-called,  were   always  close  by 
the  village  enclosure,  but  if,  by  any  means,  it  was  remote,  there 
was  always  a  covered  way  provided,  so  that  it  could  be  reached 
in  safety  from  the  village  enclosure.     Fifth,  the  same  is  true  of 
the  dance  circles  and  places  of  amusement.     These  were  some- 
times remote  from  the  village,  but  in  all  such  cases  there  was  a 
covered  way  between  the  village  and  the  dance  ground.     Sixth, 
the  fields  were  cultivated,  but  the  fields  were  reached  by  passing 
through  the  parallels  or  covered  ways,  and  lookout  mounds  or 
observatories  were  always  provided  to  protect  those  at  work  and 
to  sound  the  alarm  to  them.     Seventh, there  were  landing  places 
for  canoes  and  places   at   which   the  villagers   could    reach   the 
water's  edge.     These,  however,  were  always  protected  by  covered 
ways.     Every  village   had  its  landing  place,  but   nearly   every 
landing  place  was  furnished  with  a  graded  and  a  protected  or 
covered  way,  the  canoes  being  kept  from  the  water  and  from  the 
enemy  by  the  same  contrivance.     Eighth,  we  find  a  few  isolated 
enclosures.     These  are  the  parallels,  supposed  to  have  been  used 
for  races  and  other  games.     They,  too,  present  the  peculiarity  of 
having  a  wall  to  protect  them.     The  sacrificial  or  burial  places 
were  also  isolated,  but  even  the  burial  grounds  were  furnished 
with  heavy  earth-walls  or  circumvallations.     The  lookouts  were 
also  at  times   isolated   from   the   villages,  but   even   the  lookout 
mounds  were  surrounded  with  circles  to  protect  them,  and  some 
of  them  were  connected  with  the  village  sites  by  covered  ways. 
It  would  seem  as  if  the  people  were  not  willing  even  to  trust 
their  sentinels  or  watchmen  to   the  open  fields   or  to  risk  the 
chance  of  his  reaching  an  enclosure  by  rapid  flight,  but  even  he 
must  be  protected  by  a  wall  or  covered  way. 

This  presents  a  new  view  of  the  earth-works  of  the  region.    It 

shows  that  the  people  realized  their  danger;  that  while  they  were 

peaceable  themselves  and  were  given  to  agriculture  and  to  a 

peculiar  religious  cult,  yet  they  were   in  the  midst  of  a  savage 

.foe  which  was   always   lurking  near.     They  remind   us   in   this 


94 


I'lilMlTIVE  ARCHITECTi;Ri:. 


respect  of  the  people  who  dwelt  in  the  terraced  villa^^es  of  the 
West.  They  lived  in  villages  and  were  peaceful  and  industrious, 
but  needed  always  to  guard  their  villages  from  sudden  attack. 
The  mound-builders  of  Ohio,  then,  and  the  Indians  of  later  times 
were  plainly  very  different  from  one  another. 

=t1 


The  forts  differ  among  themselves  in  many  respects.  Those 
which  were  erected  by  the  original  Mound-builders — that  is,  the 
Mound-builders  who  occupied  the  village  enclosures — are  much 
more  elaborate  than  those  built  by  the  later  tribes.  The  writer 
has  discovered  three  classes  ot  forts  in  this  region.  The  first 
class  belongs  to  village  mound-builders,  the  second  to  the  mound- 
builders  who  were  serpent-worshipers,  the  third  to  the  race  of 


THE  SACRED  ENCLOSURES  OF  OHIO.  95 

stockade  builders.  Each  class  had  its  own  peculiar  \\a\'  of 
erecting  fortifications.  The  fortifications  are  more  distinctive  in 
reality  than  village  enclosures.  The  enclosures  may  have  been 
occupied  by  two  or  three  successive  populations,  the  one  erect- 
ing the  walls  and  giving  to  the  enclosures  the  peculiar  symbolic 
form  of  the  square  and  circle,  the  other  occup}-ing  the  circles 
but  placing  within  them,  as  signs  of  their  presence,  some  partic- 
ular efifig}-.  The  great  serpent  probably  belongs  to  this  race,  the 
third  race,  who  erected  the  stockade  forts,  but  put  no  symbol- 
ism into  their  works.  The  distinction  between  the  first 
two  is  that  one  was  a  race  of  sun  worshipers  and  the  other  of 
serpent  worshipers,  the  sun  symbol  being  frequently  embodied 
in  the  earth  works  which  are  connected  with  the  village  enclos- 
ures, but  the  serpent  symbols  being  embodied  in  the  walls  which 
surrounded  the  fortifications  built  b\-  the  other  race.  We  ha\e 
the  two  classes  represented  in  a  single  fort,  that  at  Fort  Ancient. 
The  upper  fort,  which  is  called  the  new  fort,  but  which  in  reality 
ma}^  have  been  the  older  of  the  two,  has  all  the  characteristics 
ot  the  village  enclosures.  It  walls  are  high  and  angular,  well 
defined  and  furnished  with  massixe  gateways, all  showing  a  high 
degree  of  architectural  skill,  the  crescent  being  the  only  symbol 
contained  within  it.  The  lower  or  southern  fort,  which  is  called 
the  old  fort,  differs  from  this  in  all  respects.  The  walls  are 
ruder,  the  gateways  smaller,  the  scene  wilder,  and  the  symbolism 
stranger  and  more  mysterious.  This  part,  the  writer  maintains, 
embodied  the  symbol  of  the  serpent  in  its  walls,  the  superstition 
of  the  people  being  that  the  form  of  the  serpent  in  some  way 
gave  protection  to  the  people.  We  ascribe  to  the  first  class,  that 
is,  to  the  village  people,  the  forts  at  Bourneville.  at  Hamilton,  at 
Massey's  Creek,  and  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek,  called 
Clark's  Works  ;  to  the  second  class,  we  ascribe  the  Colerain 
Works  and  the  fort  north  of  Hamilton,  leaving  the  Fort  Hill,  in 
Highland  County,  doubtful;  to  the  third  class — the  stockade 
builders — we  ascribe  the  fort  near  Granville,  those  at  Four-mile 
Creek  and  Seven-mile  Creek  and  l^ig  Run.  and  several  of  the 
works  near  Hamilton,  in  Butler  County.  The  peculiarity  of  the 
forts  of  the  village  people  is  that  there  were  very  elaborate  gate- 
ways, the  walls  being  very  sharply  defined,  and  having  re-entering 
angles,  some  of  them  being  provided  with  double  and  triple  earth 
works  as  guards  for  the  entrances.  Two  of  the  entrances  are 
furnished  with  what  is  called  the  Tlascalan  gateway,  and  the 
other  furnished  with  a  most  elaborate  system  of  embankments, 
six  different  semi-circular  walls  being  arranged  around  a  single 
opening,  to  protect  it  from  the  entrance  of  an  enemy.  The 
gateways  of  the  race  of  serpent-worshipers  were  provided  with 
walls  in  the  shape  of  serpents,  and  serpents'  heads,  but  with  no 
other  contrivances  except  this  symbol  to  guard  them. 

This   brief  review  of  the  forts  as   related   to    the  symbolism 


96  PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 

will  give  to  us  an  idea  as  to  the  great  variety  of  earth  w  orks 
found  in  Southern  Ohio.  They  are  all  of  them  enclosures,  some 
of  them  having  been  used  for  defenses,  others  for  villages,  others 
for  burial  places,  others  as  council  houses,  and  as  dance  circles, 
and  a  few  perhaps  merely  as  symbols.  The  peculiarity  of  all  is 
that  they  have  earth  walls  which  enclose  areas,  tiiough  there  are 
conical  mounds  or  solid  structures  either  in  the  areas  or  on  high 
land  overlooking  the  areas.  These  enclosures  bring  before  us  a 
picture  of  the  native  society  as  it  once  existed.  It  is  evident 
that  the  population  at  one  time  was  very  dense,  probably  much 
denser  in  the  time  of  the  early  mound-builders  than  at  any  time 
since.  The  people  were  then  in  a  peaceful  and  sedentary  condi- 
tion. They  were  agriculturists.  They  placed  their  villages  in 
the  midst  of  the  rich  agricultural  country  and  surrounded  them 
with  walls,  and  in  some  cases  built  walls  which  would,  in  a  meas- 
ure, surround  their  fields,  or  at  least  protect  the  people  in  going 
to  and  from  them.  The  forts  were  placed  in  the  midst  of  their 
villages  on  high  ground,  where  there  would  be  a  natural  defense, 
the  cliffs  being  precipitous.  In  case  of  a  sudden  incursion  the 
people  might  leave  their  villages  and  resort  to  the  forts.  Their 
villages  were  situated  upon  the  rivers  and  were  connected 
with  the  river's  bank  by  covered  ways.  They  navigated  the 
rivers  by  canoes  and  had  landing  places  for  them  near  their  vil- 
lages. Their  villages  were  sometimes  close  together,  givinp"the 
idea  that  the  clans  inhabiting  them  were  friendly  to  one  another. 
At  other  times  the  villages  are  isolated  and  wide  apart,  giving 
the  idea  that  the  people  sought  room  for  hunting  as  well  as  fer- 
tile spots  for  agriculture.  The  villages,  however,  were  all  walled 
and  the  most  of  them  had  walled  approaches,  giving  the  idea 
that-  they  were  liable  to  be  attacked  by  a  lurking  foe,  and  that 
they  continued  their  pursuits  with  this  constant  sense  of  danger 
in  their  minds.  Everything  impresses  us  with  the  thought  that 
the  Indians  were  foes  to  the  mound-builders,  and  that  the  mound- 
builders  were  well  acquainted  with  Indian  ways,  the  two  classes 
— Indians  and  mound-builders — being  very  similar  in  their  ways 
and  modes  of  life,  though  their  symbolism  was  different. 


MOUNDS  NEAR  THE  CAHOKIA  MOUND. 


THE  GREAT  CAHOKIA  MOUND.  97 


CHAPTER  Vn 


THE  GREAT  CAHOKIA  MOUND. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  localities  for  the  study  of  the  pre- 
historic monuments  of  this  country  is  the  one  which  is  found  on 
the  banks  of  Cahokia  Creek,  some  twelve  miles  from  the  City  of 
St.  Louis.  Here  the  largest  pyramid  mound  in  the  United  States 
is  to  be  seen,  and  with  it  many  other  mound  structures,  which 
are  as  curious  and  interesting  as  the  great  mound  itself.  It 
should  be  said  that  this  is  the  northernmost  point  at  which  any 
genuine  pyramid  mounds  of  the  southern  type  have  been  recog- 
nized, but  it  is  a  locality  in  which  all  the  peculiarities  of  that 
class  of  earth-works  are  exhibited.  There  is  certainly  a  great 
contrast  between  these  works  and  those  situated  in  the  northern 
districts;  but  the  fact  that  this  large  group  has  been  introduced 
into  the  midst  of  the  northern  class,  and  in  close  proximity  to 
many  specimens  of  that  class,  makes  the  contrast  all  the  more 
striking  and  instructive. 

It  has  been  the  privilege  of  the  writer  to  visit  the  various 
groups  scattered  along  the  Mississippi  River  from  its  head  waters 
to  this  point,  and  to  study  the  characteristics  of  each  group  as 
they  were  gradually  brought  before  the  eye.  The  contrasts  be- 
tween the  e^gy  mounds  of  Wisconsin  and  the  burial  mounds 
of  Northern  Illinois  are  certainly  very  striking.  1  he  works  of 
serpent-worshipers  are,  to  be  sure,  intermingled  with  them,  but 
the  change  from  the  pyramidal  mounds  to  the  burial  mounds, 
makes  the  contrasts  all  the  more  impressive. 

The  conditions  of  life  in  the  different  parts  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  seemed  to  have  varied  according  to  the  climate,  soil  and 
scenery,  but  they  are  so  concentrated  into  a  narrow  compass  that 
one  may,  by  the  aid  of  steam  and  the  railroad  train,  pass  in  one 
day  from  the  midst  of  the  wild  savage  hunters  of  the  north  into 
the  very  midst  of  the  works  of  the  semi-civilized  agricultural 
people  of  the  south,  and  may  find  the  whole  panorama  of  the 
prehistoric  races  unrolled  and  the  whole  condition  of  society  in 
prehistoric  times  rapidly  brought  before  the  eyes.  Cahokia 
mound  is  at  first  disappointing  (see  Fig.  i),  for  it  is  not  as 
imposing  as  some  have  represented  it  to  be,  and  yet  the  con- 
sciousness that  a  great  population  once  swarmed  here  and  filled 
the  valley  with  a  teeming  life  made  the  spot  a  very  interesting 
one.     There  was  also  a  double  presence  which  was  forced  upon 


98 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


the  mind — the  presence  of  those  who  since  the  beginning  of 
historic  times  have  visited  the  region  and  gazed  upon  this  very 
monument  and  written  descriptions  of  it,  one  after  the  ether, 
until  a  volume  of  literature  has  accumulated;  and  the  presence 
of  those  who  in  prehistoric  times  filled  the  valley  with  their 
works,  but  were  unable  to  make  any  record  of  themselves  ex- 
cept such  as  is  contained  in  these  silent  witnesses.  There  is, 
perhaps,  no  spot  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  which  has  been  oftener 
visited  by  distinguished  persons  and  no  monument  which  has 
oftener  gone  into  history.  Descriptions  of  it  began  as  early  as 
the  time  of  Marquette  and  the  French  missionaries;  they  appear 
again  in  the  time  of  Gen.  Rogers  Clark  and  the  conquest  of  the 
country  from  the  Indians  ;  they  come  out  again  in  the  time  of 
the  early  explorers  and  travelers,  Brackenridge,  Latrobe  and 
others,  and   continue   to   the  present   day, — missionaries,  early 


Fig.  1 — Cahokia  Mound. 

travelers,  military  generals,  historians  and  modern  archaeologists 
vying  with  one  another  in  describing  the  scene.  We  shall  offer 
no  minute  description  of  our  own,  but  shall  quote  from  different 
travelers  who  have  visited  the  spot  and  who  have  seen  the  earth- 
works before  they  were  so  sadly  despoiled  by  the  aggressions  of 
modern  days.  Probably  not  one  fifth  of  the  mounds  and  earth- 
works which  formerly  covered  this  broad  valley,  and  which  also 
surmounted  the  bluffs  adjoining,  can  now  be  seen.  The  growth 
of  the  great  City  of  St.  Louis  has  destroyed  the  last  vestige  of 
the  large  group  which  could  once  be  seen  there,  and  all  of  the 
pyramids,  cones,  "  falling  gardens,"  terraces  and  platforms,  which 
once  attracted  attention,  have  disappeared.  Twenty-seven  large 
mounds  once  stood  on  the  bluff,  making  it  memorable  as  the 
location  of  a  large  village,  which  was  similar  in  many  respects  to 
the  one  where  the  great  mound  now  stands,  but  they  have  been 
destroyed  and  can  not  now  be  studied. 

We  shall  go  back  for  our  descriptions  to  the  author  who  has 
given  the  earliest  and  fullest  account — J.  M.  Brackenridge.  He 
says:  "There  is  no  spot  in  the  western  country  capable  of  being 


THE  GRP:aT  CAHOKIA  mound.  99 

more  highly  cultivated  or  of  giving  support  to  a  numerous  pop- 
ulation than  this  valley.     If  any  vestige  of  ancient  population 
could  be  found,  this  would  be  the  place  to  search  for  it ;  accord- 
ingly this  tract,  as  also   the   tract   on   the  western  side  (Mound 
City,  now  St.  Louis),  exhibits  proof  of  an  immense  population. 
The  great  number  of  mounds  and  the  astonishing   quantity  of 
human  bones  dug  up  everywhere  or  found  on  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  with  a  thousand  other  appearances,  announce  that  this 
valley  was  at  one  time  filled  with  inhabitants  and  villages.     The 
whole   face  of  the   bluff  or  hill  which   bounds   it   on   the  east 
appears  to  have  been  a  continued  burying  giound.     But  the  most 
remarkable  appearances  are  the  two  groups  of  mounds  or  pyra- 
mids— the  one  about  ten  miles  above  Cahokia  (a  village  nearly 
extinct),  the  other  nearly  the  same  distance  below  it — which  in 
all  exceed  in  number  one  hundred  and  fifty  mounds  of  various 
sizes.     (See  map.)     The  western  side  (St.  Louis)  also  contains  a 
considerable  number.     A  more  minute  description  of  those  above 
Cahokia,  which   I   visited    in  i8ii,will   give  a  tolerable  idea  of 
them  all.     I  crossed  the  Mississippi  at  St.  Louis.     After  passing 
through  the  wood  which  borders  the  river,  about  half  a  mile  in 
width,  I  entered  on  an  extensive   plain  and  found  myself  in  the 
midst  of  a  group  of  mounds,  at  a  distance  resembling  enormous 
hay-stacks   scattered   through   a   meadow.     One  of  the  largest, 
which  I  ascended,  was  about  two  hundred  paces  in  circumference 
at  the  bottom.     The  form  was  nearly  square,  though  it  had  evi- 
dently undergone  some  alterations  by  the  washings  of  the  rains. 
The  top  was   level,  with   an  area  sufficient  to   contain  several 
hundred  men.     The  prospect  from  the  mound  was  very  beautiful. 
Looking  toward  the  bluffs,  which  are  dimly  seen  at  a  distance  of 
six  or  eight  miles,  the  bottoms  at   this  place  being  very  wide,  I 
had  a  level  plain  before   me,  bounded   bv  islets  of  wood  and  a 
few  solitary  trees ;  to  the  right  (the  south)  the  prairie  is  bounded 
by  the  horizon;  to  the  left  the  course  of  the  Cahokia  River  may 
be  distinguished  by  the  margin  of  wood  upon  its  banks.    Around 
me   I   counted  forty-five  mounds   or  pyramids,  beside  a  great 
number  of  small  artificial  elevations.     These  mounds  form  some- 
thing more  than  a  semi-circle  a  mile  in  extent,  to  the  open  space 
on  the  river.     Pursuing  my  walk  along  the  bank  ot  the  Cahokia 
I  passed  eight  others  in  a  distance  of  three  miles  before  I  arrived 
at  the   largest  assemblage.     When    I    reached   the  foot   of  the 
principal  mound,  I  was   struck   with   a   degree  of  astonishment 
not    unlike    that    which    is    experienced   in    contemplating    the 
Egyptian   pyramids.     What  a   stupendous  pile   of  earth  !      To 
heap  up  such  a  mass  must  have  required  years  and  the  labor  ol 
thousands.     Were  it  not  for  the  regularity    and  design  manifest, 
the  circumstance  of   its   being   alluvial   ground,  and  the  other 
mounds  scattered  around  it,  we  would  scarcely  believe  it  to  be 
the  work  of  human  hands."     Brackenridge  also  says:  "The  shape 


100  PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 

is  a  parallelogram,  standing  north  and  south.  On  the  south  side 
there  is  a  broad  apron  or  step,  and  from  this  another  projection 
into  the  plain  which  was  probably  intended  as  an  ascent  to  the 
mound.  The  step  or  terrace  has  been  used  for  a  kitchen  garden 
by  some  monks  of  LaTrappe  settled  near  this,  and  the  top  of 
the  structure  is  sown  in  wheat.  Nearly  west  was  another  of 
smaller  size,  and  forty  others  were  scattered  about  on  the  plain. 
Two  were  seen  on  the  bluff  at  a  distance  of  three  miles.  I  every 
where  observed  a  great  number  of  smaller  elevations  at  regular 
distances  from  each  other,  and  which  appeared  to  observe  some 
order.  I  concluded  that  a  populous  city  had  once  existed  here, 
similar  to  those  of  Mexico  described  by  the  first  conqueror.  The 
mounds  were  sites  of  temples  or  monuments  of  great  size." 

We  have  given  the  quotation  for  the  sake  of  showing  the 
impressions  which  were  formed  by  the  works  when  they  were 
first  visited  and  when  the  country  was  in  its  native  wildness,  with 
no  work  of  modern  civilization  to  mar  the  scene.  It  will  be 
learned  from  the  description  that  there  were  at  the  time  several 
large  groups  of  mounds — one  situated  on  the  bluffs  where  St. 
Louis  now  stands;  another  on  the  bank  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
not  far  from  the  present  site  of  East  St.  Louis;  a  third  on  the 
bottom  lands,  about  ten  miles  below  the  old  village  of  Cahokia; 
the  fourth  about  ten  miles  above  the  old  village,  which  is  the 
group  in  which  we  are  especially  interested.*  We  speak  of  this 
because  there  has  been  a  general  impression  that  the  celebrated 
"Cahokia"  mound,. or  more  properly  "Monk's"  mound,  is  a 
solitary  pyramid,  and  that  it  has  no  connection  with  any  of  the 
works  in  the  vicinity.  Mr.  Brackenridge  unconsciously  corrects 
this  impression,  for  according  to  his  description  the  works  of  the 
entire  region  were  all  of  them  of  the  same  class,  the  majority  of 
them  having  been  truncated  pyramids.  It  should  be  said  that 
there  are  lookout  mounds  at  various  pomts  on  the  bluffs,  which 
command  extensive  views  across  the  country  into  the  interior, 
and  which  must  also  have  served  as  beacons  or  signal  stations 
for  the  villages  which  were  scattered  throughout  the  bottom 
lands.  Two  of  these  are  mentioned  by  Mr.  Brackenridge  as  in 
plain  sight  from  Monk's  mound.  One  of  these  is  now  called 
"  Sugar  Loaf"  It  forms  a  prominent  mark  in  the  landscape,  as 
its  towering  height  can  be  seen  at  a  great  distance.  So  favora- 
ble was  the  mound  as  an  observatory  that  the  Coast  Survey  took 
advantage  of  it  and  made  it  a  station  for  triangulating.  Our 
conclusion  is  that  the  whole  system  of  works  on  the  great 
American  bottoms  was  connected  together,  and  that  here  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Missouri,  a  colony  resembling  the  race  of  southern 


*Mr.  McAdams  says  there  is  a  group  at  Mitchell  Station,  half  way  between  St. 
LouiVand  Alton,  which  contains  several  large  platforms,  one  of  them  measurin|  300 
feet  on  the  side,  30  feet  high.  This  mound  was  excavated  for  four  railroad  tracks 
and  many  relics  taken  out-copper  spools,  awls,  needles  and  an  ornament  resembling 
the  shell  ot  a  turtle,  and  most  important,  the  teeth  of  a  buffalo. 


THE  GREAT  CAHOKIA  MOUND.  101 

mound-builders  had  long  made  their  home,  but  were  driven  off 
at  some  time  preceding  the  date  of  history  by  the  hunter  tribes, 
who  came  down  upon  them  from  the  north.* 

We  here  make  a  record  of  an  observation  which  amounts  to 
a  new  discovery,  It  was  noticed  by  the  writer  as  he  ascended 
the  great  mound  that  it  was  in  the  midst  of  a  large  group  of 
similar  mounds;  that  the  mounds  surrounding  it  were  arranged 
in  pairs — a  conical  mound  and  a  pyramid  constituting  a  pair — 
and  that  each  one  of  these  separate  pairs  was  placed  on  lines 
which  are  parallel  to  the  sides  of  the  great  pyramid,  and  that 
they  were  all  orientated,  the  sides  always  facing  the  points  of 
the  compass.  It  was  noticed  also  that  in  some  cases  the  ground 
was  raised  between  the  truncated  pyramid  and  the  conical  mound, 
giving  the  idea  that  there  may  have  been  here  a  chunky  yard  or 
play-ground,  the  same  as  there  was  between  the  public  squares 
and  the  rotundas,  which  have  been  described  by  Adair  and 
Bartram  as  common  in  the  villages  of  the  southern  Indians.  In 
one  case,  about  half  a  mile  to  the  east  of  the  great  pyramid,  there 
was  a  high  platform  or  pyramidal  mound,  and  immediately  ad- 
joining it  on  the  north  was  a  large  platform,  but  at  a  lower  level 
and  on  the  northeast  corner  of  this  platform,  was  a  large  conical 
mound,  the  three  parts  being  in  close  proximity,  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  three  reminding  one  of  the  relative  location  of  some 
of  the  so-called  sacred  enclosures  of  Ohio,  where  a  large  circle 
intervenes  between  a  small  circle  and  a  large  square  enclosure, 
the  three  being  joined  together  by  protecting  walls.  This  dis- 
covery of  the  peculiar  grouping  of  the  surrounding  mounds  was 
made  while  looking  down  upon  the  scene.  A  very  beautiful  pair 
of  earth-works  stands  immediately  south  of  the  great  pyramid, 
each  one  presenting  its  sides  covered  with  varied  foliage,  the 
golden  autumnal  tints  being  set-off  against  the  silvery  radiance 
of  the  little  artificial  lake  which  lay  in  the  background.  The 
size  of  the  pyramids  adjoining  the  great  pyramid  can  be  learned 
from  the  circumstance  that  nearly  all  of  the  large  farm-houses  in 
the  region  are  built  upon  the  summits,  the  pyramids  being  large 
enough  to  accommodate  the  houses,  with  their  out-houses,  barns, 
lawns  and  other  conveniences  of  re^^idence.  One  of  these,  the  one 
at  the  west  had  been  graded  down  about  eight  feet,  but  others 
were  left  at  their  natural  height.  The  houses  are  arranged  along 
the  sides  of  the  common  highway,  which  here  constitutes  the 
line  between  two  counties,  the  distance  from  one  end  of  the 
group  to  the  other  being  about  three  miles  from  east  to  west,  and 
two  miles  from  north  to  south.     The  arrangement  of  the  group 

*See  Antiquities  of  Monk's  Mound,  published  by  W.  R.  Brink.  Edwardsville,  III., 
1883;  Foster's  Prehistoric  Kaccs,  p.  107:  Ancient  Monuments,  p.  iH;  Twelfth  Report 
Peabody  Museum,  p.  472.  It  should  be  said  that  the  niound  which  Dr.  J.  H.  Foster 
describes  as  having  been  removed  was  situated  at  Cahokia,  and  in  that  vicinity  still 
goes  by  the  name  of  the  great  Unhokia  nmund.  We  judge  that  this  mound  had  a 
tower  or  conical  mound  on  its  summit  10  feet  high,  which,  on  exploration,  yielded 
human  bones,  funeral  vases  and  various  implements. 


102  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

is  peculiar.  There  are  pyramids  and  conical  mounds  close  by 
the  side  of  the  great  pyramid;  beyond  these  are  similar  works, 
making  several  pairs  east  and  west  and  several  pairs  north  and 
south  of  the  great  pyramid,  all  of  them  arranged  with  their 
sides  facing  the  sides  of  the  central  pyramid,  and  all  of  them 
overlooked  by  its  towering  height.  There  are  also  many  arti- 
ficial ponds,  whose  waters  glisten  beneath  the  dark  shadows  of 
the  many  earth-works,  making  a  varied  scene. 

2.  As  to  the  size  and  shape  of  the  great  mound,  we  shall  give 
the  descriptions  of  others,  for  the  reason  that  many  of  them  have 
had  better  opportunities  for  observing  and  measuring  them  than 
we  have.  It  may  be  said,  however,  that  the  descriptions  which 
have  been  written  so  vary  in  their  details  that  we  are  uncertain 
which  account  to  believe. 

Squier  and  Davis  speak  of  the  mound,  but  seem  to  have  given 
the  wrong  dimensions.  They  say  :  "  It  covers  not  far  from  eight 
acres ;  its  summit  has  an  area  of  about  five  acres  ;  its  solid  con- 
tents may  be  roughly  estimated  at  20,000,000  cubic  feet.  It  is 
nearly  ninety  feet  high,  is  built  in  terraces,  and  is  reached  by  a 
graded  way  which  passes  up  at  the  south  end." 

Mr.  William  McAdams  says:  "  We  have  surveyed  the  group, 
and  found  that  the  great  pyramid  is  surrounded  by  seventy-two 
others  of  considerable  size  within  a  distance  of  two  miles.  The 
largest  axis  of  the  pyramid  is  998  feet,  the  shortest  is  721  feet, 
and  it  covers  sixteen  acres,  two  rods  and  three  perches  of  ground. 
He  says  :  "  After  many  days  of  exploration  and  study,  we  believe 
the  evidence  to  prove  this  to  be  a  group  of  the  greatest  mounds 
on  this  continent  and  perhaps  in  the  world,  and  possibly  this  was 
the  Mecca  or  great  central  shrine  of  the  mound-builders'  empire. 
Upon  the  flat  summit  of  the  pyramid,  one  hundred  feet  above 
the  plain,  were  their  sanctuaries,  glittering  with  barbaric  splendor, 
and  where  could  be  seen  fiom  afar  the  smoke  and  flames  of  the 
eternal  fire,  their  emblem  of  the  sun." 

Prof.  Putnam  says  :  "  Situated  in  the  midst  of  a  group  of  about 
sixty  mounds  of  more  than  ordinary  size,  several  in  the  vicinity 
being  from  thirty  to  sixty  feet  in  height,  and  of  various  forms, 
Cahokia  mound,  rising  by  four  platforms  or  terraces  to  a  height 
of  about  one  hundred  feet,  and  covering  an  area  of  about  twelve 
acres,  holds  a  relation  to  the  other  tumuli  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  similar  to  that  of  the  great  pyramid  of  Egypt  to  the  other 
monuments  of  the  valley  of  the  Nile."  Dr.  J.  J.  R.  Patrick,  re- 
siding in  the  vicinity,  has  made  a  survey  of  the  group  and  pre- 
pared two  accurate  models  of  the  mound  itself— one  of  them 
representing  the  mound  as  it  now  exists. 

Featherstonaugh  visited  the  mound  in  1844,  and  says  that  the 
settlement  of  the  monks  was  on  a  smaller  mound  to  the  west, 
but  at  the  time  of  his  visit  the  building  in  which  they  had  lived 
had  been  leveled  with  the  ground.     He   also  states  that   a  Mr. 


THE  GREAT  CAHOKIA  MOUND.  103 

Hill  was  living  in  a  house  he  had  erected  on  the  top  of  the  great 
mound;  that  upon  digging  for  the  foundation,  "he  found  large 
human  bones,  with  Indian  pottery,  stone  axes  and  tomahawks." 
We  judge  from  Brackenridge's  account  that  there  was  no  road- 
way to  the  summit  in  his  time,  but  that  the  one  which  now 
appears  must  have  been  made  by  Mr.  Hill,  the  owner,  and  that 
the  well  which  is  now  in  ruins  was  dug  by  him.* 

In  reference  to  the  present  condition  of  the  mound,  we  have 
to  say  that  an  air  of  waste  and  ruin  surrounds  it;  deep  gullies 
are  worn  into  its  sides,  and  it  seems  to  be  wrinkled  and  ridged 
with  the  marks  of  its  great  age.  See  Plate  I.  Though  sur- 
rounded by  many  other  structures,  on  which  there  are  signs  of 
modern  life,  this  seems  to  be  deserted.  The  very  house  which 
was  found  upon  its  summit  has  been  leveled  to  the  ground,  and 
the  home  of  the  present  owner,  situated  a  little  to  the  rear  of  it, 
seems  to  hide  itself  in  the  shadows  of  the  great  monster.  It 
stands  like  a  solemn  monarch,  lonely  in  its  grandeur,  but  impos- 
ing in  its  presence.  Though  the  smoke  of  the  great  city  may 
be^seen  in  the  distance,  and  many  trains  go  rumbling  across  the 
valley  and  through  the  great  bridge  which  spans  the  river,  vet 
this  monster  mound  stands  as  a  mute  witness  of  a  people  which 
has  passed  away.  It  is  a  silent  statue,  a  sphinx,  which  still 
keeps  within  its  depths  the  mystery  which  no  one  has  as  yet 
fathomed.     It  perpetuates  the  riddle  of  the  sphinx. 

3.  As  to  archaeological  relics.  It  is  remarkable  that  the  spot 
continues  to  yield  such  an  amount  of  them  after  so  many  years  of 
exploration  and  curiosity  hunting.  In  the  field  adjoining  one 
may  find  beautiful  fragments  of  pottery,  some  of  which  bear  the 
glaze  and  red  color  which  formerly  characterized  the  pottery  of 
the  Natchez  Indians.  There  are  also  vast  quantities  of  bones 
hidden  beneath  the  surface,  and  one  can  scarcely  strike  a  spade 
through  the  soil  without  unearthing  some  token  of  the  prehis- 
toric races.  Mr.  Ramey,  the  owner  of  the  mound,  speaks  about 
digging  in  one  part  of  the  field  and  finding  heaps  of  bones  eight 
feet  deep,  and  says  that  the  bones  are  everywhere  present.  The 
\vorkmen  who  were  engaged  in  digging  ditches  for  underdraining 
had  a  few  days  before  come  upon  large  quantities  of  pottery  and 
skeletons  of  large  size,  but  had  carelessly  broken  them  instead 
of  preserving  them.  As  to  the  character  of  the  pottery  and  the 
patterns  contained  in  them,  we  notice  some  remarkable  resem- 
blances between  the  pieces  exnumed  here  and  those  which  are 
found  in   the   stone   graves  of  Tennessee.     One   specimen  was 


*A  well  was  dug  bv  Mr.  Hill.  This  well  was  eighty  feel  de^p.  At  sixty  feet  they 
found  fragments  of  potterv  and  corn  carbonized  and  bones.  The  water  from  the  well 
was  never  used,  as  it  always  had  a  peculiar  taste,  and  the  supixjsition  was  that  hu- 
man bodies  were  buried  in  the  mound.  The  cellar  dug  by  Mr  Hill  showed  the 
moSnd  to  be  stratified.  An  excavation  by  Mr.  Ramey,  on  the  north  side,  revealed 
the  same.  A  piece  of  lead  or  galena  was  found  at  the  end  of  the  tunnel,  which  ex- 
tended about  fifteen  feet  in  towards  the  center  of  the  mound.  McAdams  says  the 
area  on  the  top  is  au  acre  and  a  half. 


104 


PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 


especially  interesting.  It  represented  a  squirrel  holding  in  its 
paws  a  stick,  the  teeth  placed  around  the  stick  as  if  gnawing  it, 
the  whole  making  a  handle  to  the  vessel.  We  noticed  also  a 
frog-shaped  pipe  made  from  sand-stone,  and  many  other  animal- 
shaped  and  bird-shaped  figures.  The  object  which  impressed 
us  most  was  a  sand-stone  tablet,  which  contained  figures  very 
much  like  those  found  upon  the  inscribed  tablets  taken  from  one 
of  the  mounds  of  the  Etowah  group  in  Georgia.  It  was  evident 
that  this  tablet  was  covered  with  a  mysterious  symbolism,  and 
suggested  the  thought  that  the  same  people  who  erected  the 
southern  pyramids,  and  who  embodied  in  them  the  various  sym- 
bols of  sun-worship,  also  erected  here  these  great  mounds  under 
the  influence  of  the  same  powerful  religious  cult.  What  that 
cult  was,  we  shall  not  undertake  to  describe,  but  it  was  undoubt- 


Fig.  2. — Big  Mound  at  St.  Louis. 

edly  a  superstition  which  held  under  its  control  the  entire  people 
and  led  them  to  erect  these  great  monument  even  at  the  expense 
of  long  and  protracted  labor. 

4.  In  reference  to  the  symbolism  which  was  embodied  in  this 
great  work,  we  may  say  that  the  terraces  are  four  in  number,  the 
first,  second  and  third  being  about  thirty  feet  in  height,  the  fourth 
being  at  present  but  about  four  feet,  though  it  has  been  reduced 
from  its  original  height.  The  terraces  seem  to  cut  across  the 
whole  face  of  the  great  pyramid  on  the  south  and  west  sides, 
but  the  north  and  east  sides  are  steep  and  inaccessible.  There 
is  a  striking  analogy  between  this  pyramid  and  the  one  at  Copan 
in  Central  America.  See  Fig.  i .  There  is  also  the  same  method 
of  orientating  the  pyramids  here  and  in  Central  America  that  is 
found  in  ancient  Chaldea  and  Assyria,  though  here  the  sides  are 


THE  GREAT  CAHOKIA  MOUND.  105 

toward  the  points  of  the  compass  rather  than  the  angles.  The 
pyramids  are  built  in  stages,  though  there  are  here  only  tour 
platforms;  in  Chaldea  there  are  seven.  Our  conviction  is  that  a 
race  of  sun-worshipers  occupied  this  region,  but  it  was  a  race 
which  differed  materially  from  the  serpent-worshipers  which 
dwelt  immediately  north  of  them  and  whose  effigies  we  have 
recently  discovered.  We  are  aware  that  Mr.  McAdams  believes 
that  the  dragon  was  symbolized  in  some  of  the  molded  pottery 
and  that  the  famous  image  of  the  Piassa,  which  formerly  was  to 
be  seen  on  the  face  of  the  rocks  near  Alton,  belonged  to  the 
same  people  who  erected  these  pyramids.  He  also  says  :  "As  he 
looked  down  from  the  conical  mound  south  of  the  great  pyramid 
upon  the  pond  which  lies  below,  he  seemed  to  be  looking  into 
the  ever-present  eye  of  the  Manitou  that  had  glared  at  him  from 
the  bluffs  and  caverns,  and  which  is  so  common  on  ancient  pot- 
tery, the  oldest  symbol  in  the  world."  We  are  free  to  say  that 
the  pond  does  have  a  remarkable  resemblance  in  its  general  con- 
tour to  the  symbol  which  is  composed  of  eyes  and  nose,  and 
and  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  significant  of  the  face  of  the 
sun  and  at  the  same  time  contained  the  phallic  s)'mbol. 

It  will  be  noticed  that  the  pyramid  mounds  were  built  for  a 
people  who  differed  very  materially  from  the  wild  Indians  who 
roamed  over  the  northern  districts,  as  their  tribal  organizations 
and  wild  condition  did  not  admit  of  the  social  grades  which  are 
apparent  here.  Still  it  is  worthy  of  mention  that  a  Kaskaskia 
chief  told  Gen.  George  Rogers  Clarke  that  it  was  the  palace  of 
his  forefathers,  that  "the  little  mountain  we  saw  there  flung  up 
with  a  basin  on  top  was  a  tower  that  contained  a  part  of  the 
guard  belonging  to  the  prince,  as  from  the  top  of  that  height 
they  can  defend  the  king's  house  with  their  arrows." 

When  the  Indian  tribes  were  visited  by  Ferdinand  De  Soto,  he 
found  the  whole  territory  filled  with  walled  towns.  Sometimes 
they  contained  a  population  of  several  thousand  inhabitants,  and 
they  were  surrounded  by  palisades  and  protected  by  gateways. 
The  house  of  the  chief  or  sachem  of  the  tribe  was  often  built 
upon  an  artificial  mound,  and  so-called  temples  or  altars  of  wor- 
•ship  were  built  upon  raised  foundations  of  earth.  Some  writers 
describe  these  mounds  as  the  places  of  burial  for  their  dead 
chieftans ;  but  others  as  the  residences  of  the  chief  or  brother  of 
the  sun;  and  by  others  it  is  stated  that  the  house  of  the  great 
sun  stood  upon  one  mound  and  the  temple  of  the  priest  was  on 
another  mound — both  of  the  same  height.  Here,  however,  we 
have  not  only  the  residence?  of  the  chiefs  and  priests,  which 
were  undoubtedly  erected  on  the  summit  of  the  mounds,  but  we 
have  in  the  center  of  them  all  the  great  temple.  It  is  probable 
that  this  was  the  assembly  place  of  the  tribe,  and  that  there  was 
a  building  which  corresponded  to  the  "long  house"  of  the  Indians 
and  the  capitol  of  the  white  man,  and  that  the  different  pyramids 


06 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


were  built  for  the  accommodation  of  the  chiefs  and  ruling  men 
of  the  clans  which  may  have  lived  here.  The  whole  structure 
was  significant  of  the  grades  of  society  which  probably  existed 
among  the  people. 

II.  We  now  turn  to  the  mounds  formerly  at  St.  Louis.  These 
mounds  were  in  some  respects  fully  as  interesting  as  those  at 
Cahokia  Creek.  The  peculiarities  of  the  group  were  as  fol- 
lows: I.  They  were  arranged  in  a  line  along  the  second  terrace 
parallel  with  the  river  and  in  full  sight  of  the  stream  itself.  2. 
There  was  in  the  center  of  the  line  a  group  which  was  in  the 
form  of  an  amphitheater,  the  back  part  ol  the  group  forming  a 
graceful  curve,  but  the  front  part  being  flanked  by  a  pyramid  on 
one  side  and  the  falling  gardens  on  the  other.  3.  Several  ot 
the  mounds  were  terraced,  the  terraces  all  being  on  the  east  and 


-iritninrTi''"' "■vn'''ir'ii'"irn 


^  ~  n  nA 


Fig.  S.—Map  of  Works  at  St.  Louis. 

SO  situated  as  to  give  a  good  view  of  the  river.  4.  The  big 
mound,  concerning  which  so  much  has  been  said,  was  located  at 
the  extreme  north  of  the  line.  This  seems  to  have  been  attended 
by  a  series  of  irregular  pyramids,  all  of  them  of  large  size  and 
on  high  ground,  so  making  the  entire  series  to  resemble  the 
great  terraced  villages  of  the  west,  the  pyramids  being  arranged 
in  banks  or  steps  along  the  entire  bluft. 

The  arrangement  of  the  pyramids  deserves  attention.  This 
seems  to  have  varied  according  to  the  situation.  Those  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Monk's  mound  extend  nearly  three  miles  in  one 
direction  and  two  in  another,  but  the  great  mound  occupies  the 
center  and  overlooks  the  whole  series.  Cahokia  Creek  flows 
just  north  of  the  great  mound  and  divides  the  group,  several 
mounds  being  north  of  the  creek.  The  group  on  the  bank  of 
the  river  near  East  St.  Louis,  according  to  the  descriptions 
given  of  it  by  Brackenridge,  was  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent, 


THE  GREAT  CAHOKIA  MOUND.  107 

which  opened  upon  the  river.  This  group  was  formerly  situated 
where  the  business  part  of  St.  Louis  now  stands.  It  was  ar- 
ranged along  the  edge  of  the  terrace  for  the  space  of  about 
three  quarters  of  a  mile.  In  the  center  of  the  line  was  a  group 
containing  several  pyramids,  arranged  about  an  open  area,  a 
pyramid  at  either  side,  the  falling  garden  being  situated  at  an 
angle  of  the  area.  The  whole  group  was  so  arranged  that  a 
view  of  the  river  could  be  obtained  from  the  summit  of  each 
pyramid.  The  group  was  in  a  sightly  place,  and  commanded 
a  view  in  all  directions.     See  Fig.  3. 

Brackenridge  describes  this  group  as  follows:  "It  is  situated 
on  tiie  second  bank  and  disposed  in  a  singular  manner.  They 
are  nine  in  all,  and  form  three  sides  of  a  parallelogram,  the  open 
side  toward  the  country  being  protected  by  three  smaller 
mounds  placed  in  a  circular  manner.  The  space  enclosed  is 
about  300  yards  in  length  and  200  in  breadth.  About  600 
yards  above  this  is  a  single  mound,  with  a  broad  stage  on  the 
river  side.  It  is  30  feet  in  height,  150  in  length  ;  the  top  is  a 
mere  ridge  5  or  6  feet  wide.  Below  the  first  mound  is  a  curious 
work  called  the  'falling  garden.'  Advantage  is  taken  of  the 
second  bank,  nearly  50  feet  in  height  at  this  place,  and  three 
regular  stages  or  steps  are  found.  This  work  is  much  admired. 
It  suggests  the  idea  of  a  place  of  assembly  for  the  purpose  of 
counseling  on  public  occasions."  Mr.  A.  C.  Conant  says  that 
the  "big  mound"  which  once  stood  at  the  corner  of  Mound 
street  and  Broadway  is  the  terraced  mound  represented  by  Mr. 
Brackenridge  as  located  600  yards  north  of  the  main  group. 
He  says  there  were  formerly  many  other  mounds  in  the  vicinity 
of  St.  Louis,  rivalling  in  magnitude  and  interest  those  just 
described.  The  second  terrace  of  the  Mississippi,  upon  almost 
every  landing  point,  was  furnished  with  them.  The  "big 
mound"  was  destroyed  in  1S69.  It  was  found  to  contain  a 
sepulchral  chamber,  which  was  about  72  feet  in  length,  8  to  12 
feet  wide,  and  8  to  10  teet  in  height;  the  walls  sloping  and 
plastered,  as  the  marks  of  the  plastering  tool  could  be  plainly 
seen.  Twenty-four  bodies  were  placed  upon  the  floor  of  the 
vault,  a  few  feet  apart,  with  their  feet  toward  the  west,  the 
bodies  arranged  in  a  line  with  the  longest  axis;  a  number  of 
bone  beads  and  shells,  sea  shells,  drilled  with  small  holes,  near 
the  head,  in  quantities  "sufficient  to  cover  each  body  from  the 
thighs  to  the  head." 

We  call  attention  to  the  arrangement  of  the  terraces  in  this 
group.  They  seem  to  be  directed  toward  the  east  or  the  river 
side,  and  commanded  a  view  of  the  river  and  of  the  mounds 
upon  the  opposite  side  of  the  river. 

Mr.  Say  says:  "Tumuli  and  other  remains  are  remarkably 
numerous  about  St.  Louis.  Those  immediately  northward  of 
the  town  are  twenty-seven  in  number,  arranged  nearly  in  a  line 
from  north  to  south.     The  common  form  is  an  oblong  square, 


108  PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 

and  they  all  stand  on  the  second  bank  ot  the  river.  It  seems 
probable  that  these  piles  of  earth  were  raised  as  cemeteries,  or 
they  may  have  supported  altars  for  religious  ceremonies.  We 
can  not  conceive  any  useful  purpose  to  which  they  could  have 
been  applicable  in  war,  unless  as  elevated  stations  from  which 
to  observe  the  motions  of  an  approaching  enem3\  Nothing 
like  a  ditch  or  an  embankment  is  to  be  seen  about  any  part  of 
these  works."  This  remark  about  the  "elevated  stations"  is  a 
suggestive  one.  It  may  be  that  the  people  assembled  upon 
these  terraces  to  observe  the  scene  sprerd  out  before  them,  a 
scene  which  abounded  with  peaceable  pursuits.  The  valley 
was  covered  with  a  teeming  population,  large  canoes  were 
passing  to  and  fro  upon  the  river,  villages  were  scattered  over 
the  rich  bottom  land  in  every  direction,  the  pyramids  on  which 
the  chiefs  had  built  their  houses  loomed  up  in  the  midst  of  the 
ordinarv  houses  in  the  villages,  the  lofty  tovvers  or  lookouts  on 
the  bluffs,  surmounted  by  sentinels  or  watchmen,  were  covered 
with  beacon  fires  by  night  or  with  smoking  signals  by  day^ 
while  in  the  midst  of  the  scene  the  great  mound  stood  as  ^ 
gigantic  temole,  with  its  terraces  covered  with  the  troops  of 
superstitious  people,  who  assembled  there  to  protect  the  shrine 
on  the  summit.  Above' this  the  smoke  from  the  sacred  fires 
arose  in  a  spiral  into  the  face  of  the  sun.  It  was  a  scene  sug- 
gestive of  busy  life,  but  there  was  a  strange  superstition  which 
pervaded  everything,  filling  the  air  with  its  awe-inspiring  effect, 
the  sun  being  the  great  divinity  worshiped  by  the  entire  people 
— its  rising  being  met  by  adoration  from  morning  to  morning, 
and  its  course  watched  bv  those  who  regarded  it  as  a  divinity. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  the  celebrated  picture  rocks  which 
Marquette  describes  as  having  been  seen  by  his  party,  of  which 
the  natives  seemed  to  be  in  mortal  fear,  were  situated  not  far 
from  this  spot.  These  pictures  have  given  rise  to  many  strange 
stories.  It  is  said  that  they  were  in  the  shape  of  huge  animals, 
with  human  faces,  horns  issuing  from  the  head,  wings  sur- 
mounting the  body,  all  parts  of  the  animal  kingdom  being 
mingled  into  one  hideous-looking  creature.  It  is  said  also  that 
there  are  caves  in  various  localities,  hidden  away  among  the 
rocks..  The  bluffs  surrounding  the  valley  are  strangely  con- 
torted. The  lakes  and  ponds  in  the  midst  of  the  valley  had 
formerly  a  wild,  strange  air  about  them.  Agriculture  was  fol- 
lowed here,  for  agricultural  tools  have  been  taken  from  the 
ground  in  great  numbers,  but  it  was  agriculture  carried  on  in 
the  midst  of  wild  scenes.  There  must  haue  been  a  dense  pop- 
ulation, for  it  is  said  that  the  plow  everywhere  turns  up  bones 
in  great  numbers,  and  the  sides  of  the  bluffs  are  filled  with 
graves,  in  which  many  prehistoric  relics  have  been  found.  There 
is  no  place  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  where  so  many  evidences 
of  the  strange  life  and  strange  superstitions  which  prevailed  in 
prehistoric  times  are  found. 


THE  GREAT  CAHOKIA  MOU^sD.  109 

III.  We  take  up  the  comparison  between  the  pyramids.  It 
"vvill  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  general  resemblance,  both  in  the 
shape  of  the  individual  pyramids  and  in  the  arrangement  of  the 
pyramids  in  the  groups.  Here  at  St.  Louis  one  group  has  a  great 
mound  in  the  center  with  the  other  mounds  around  it;  the  other 
group  has  an  open  area  in  the  center  and  the  pyramids  placed 
at  the  sides  of  the  area,  as  if  to  guard  it  and  make  it  a  place  of 
assembly.* 

We  first  turn  to  the  comparison  of  the  northern  mounds  with 
the  pyramidal  mounds  in  the  Southern  States,  and  are  to  notice 
the  resemblances.  The  number  and  location  of  these  pyramids 
are  at  present  somewhat  uncertain,  but  they  seem  to  have  been 
distributed  throughout  the  entire  region  covered  by  the  Gulf 
States.  They  are  numerous  in  Louisiana,  Mississippi,  Georgia 
and  Alabama.  A  modified  form  of  pyramid,  not  so  large  nor  so 
well  made,  is  found  also  among  the  stone  graves  of  Middle  Ten- 
nessee, as  well  as  among  the  lodge  circles  of  Arkansas.  Trun- 
cated pyramids,  or  rather  platform  mounds,  are  common  also 
throughout  the  southern  part  of  Ohio,  though  they  are  not 
pyramids  in  any  proper  sense  of  the  word.  Still,  if  we  take  the 
shape  as  a  standard,  and  consider  the  platform  mounds  having 
graded  ways  as  one  type  of  pyramid,  we  should  find  that  the 
distribution  of  the  pyramidal  mounds  was  very  extensive.  There 
was  formerly  an  elevated  square  or  platform  mound  at  Martin's 
Ferry,  near  Wheeling,  and  in  connection  with  it  a  conical  mound, 
the  two  reminding  us  of  the  rotunda  and  public  square  of  the 
Cherokees.  This  is  the  easternmost  point  where  such  works  have 
been  seen.  The  westernmost  limit  of  mounds  of  this  pyramidal 
type  cannot  be  determined,  yet  it  seems  that  there  are  specimens 
of  the  kind  at  points  on  the  Missouri  as  far  north  as  Dakota  and 
even  larther.  The  pyramids  found  inside  of  the  celebrated  enclo- 
sure called  Aztlan,  in  Wisconsin  (see  Fig.  4),  have  been  compared 
to  those  which  are  common  in  Middle  Tennessee,  and  the  walls 
with  bastions  surrounding  the  enclosure  have  been  compared  to 
those  at  Savannah,  Tennessee,  and  to  those  at  Evansville,  Ind., 
and  it  has  even  been  suggested  that  this  ancient  city  was  built 
by  a  colony  from  the  south.  It  is,  at  least,  the  northernmost 
point  at  which  pyramids  have  been  recognized,  the  so-called  hay- 
stack mound  in  Dakota  being  considered  a  specirnen.  The  pyr- 
amids at  Atzalan  are  on  high  ground,  near  the  bastioned  wall,  and 
overlook  the  entire  enclosure.  There  is  a  graded  way  to  one 
of  them  and  an  elevated  causeway  connecting  it  with  the  lodge 
circles  on  the  flat  below.  The  effigies  are  just  below  the  bluft' 
or  natural  terrace  pyramids.  On  the  bank  of  the  river  are  two 
rows  of  lodge  circles,  with  a  level  street  between  them.  A  low 
platform  may  be  seen  near  the  lodge  circles  and  a  pond  near 

*The  group  at  Madison  Parish,  La.,  resembles  those  at  .St.  Louis,  the  great  mound 
at  Seltzertown  those  at  Prairie  Jeflferson,  and  those  near  Washington  resemble  these 
on  Cahokia  Creek. 


110 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


the  platform.  There  are  ponds  near  all  the  platforms  and  pyr- 
amids, water  seeming  to  have  been  an  essential  to  the  religious 
assembly  places,  as  in  all  parts  of  the  country.  There  are 
effigies  within  a  mile  of  this  enclosure,  and  it  is  supposed  that 
the  long  irregular  mounds  inside  of  the  enclosure  were  effigies. 
These  pyramids  in  the  ancient  cit}^  of  Wisconsin  are  inter- 
esting because  they  show  that  the  effigy-builders  were  also 
pyramid-builders  and  perhaps  sun-worshipers.     The  assump- 


4         f'^ii 


Fig.  It.— Pyramids  and  Effigies  at  Aztlan,  Wisconsin. 

tion  has  been  that  marks  of  architectural  progression  were  ob- 
servable in  the  distribution  of  the  ancient  works.  Prof.  J.  T. 
Short  says: 

"  Men  all  around  the  world  have  been  pyramid-builders.  The 
religious  idea  in  man  has  always  associated  a  place  of  sanctuary 
with  the  condition  of  elevation  and  separateness.  The  simple 
mound,  so  common  in  the  northern  region  of  the  United  States, 
represents  the  first  step  in  providing  a  place  of  worship,  the 
construction  of  an  artificial  hillock  upon  the  summit  of  some 
bluff  or  hill.  The  next  step  would  be  the  construction  of  some 
religious   effigy   representing   animals   sacred   to   the  mound- 


THE  GREAT  CAHOKIA  MOUND.  Ill 

builders.  The  enclosures  with  the  truncated  pyramids,  which 
are  found  in  Ohio,  would  be  the  third  step.  The  highest  artis- 
tic form  is  found  in  the  truncated  pyramid,  with  its  complicated 
system  of  graded  ways  and  its  nice  geometrical  proportions." 
As  a  theory,  this  seems  verj'  plausible,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact 
P3'ramids  are  found  among  the  effigies  as  well  as  enclos- 
ures. The  superstition  which  required  the  erection  of  earth- 
works as  the  embodiment  of  their  idea  of  sacredness  is  an 
element  which  is  very  poorly  understood.  Sun-worship  and 
animal-worship  ma}'  have  existed  together  in  Wisconsin,  as 
serpent-worship  and  sun-worship  did  in  Ohio.  Fire-worship 
and  serpent-worship  seemed  to  prevail  in  certain  parts  of  Illinois. 
The  only  district  where  sun-worship  prevailed  without  any 
mixture  of  animal  or  serpeut  worship  was  in  the  Southern 
States.  Here  it  seems  to  have  been  mingled  with  idol-worship, 
the  progress  of  thought  being  as  perceptible  in  the  works  of 
art  and  archaeological  relics  as  in  the  earth-works,  the  pyramid 
and  idol  having  been  associated  in  these  southern  districts. 

We  base  no  theory  on  these  facts,  merely  mention  the  locali- 
ties where  works  of  the  pyramidal  type  have  been  discovered.  To 
some  minds  they  would  prove  a  migration  from  the  north  or 
northwest  to  the  south  and  southeast,  and  would  show  that  the 
mound-builders  gradually  developed  from  the  low  stage  of  ani- 
mal-worship up  through  serpent  worship  to  the  higher  grade  of 
sun-worship,  the  different  types  of  earth-works  marking  the 
different  stages  through  which  they  passed.  To  other  minds, 
however,  they  would  prove  the  spread  of  a  secret  order,  or  the 
wanderings  of  a  class  of  priests  or  medicine  men,  who  intro- 
duced their  occult  system  into  the  different  tribes,  making  the 
pyramid  the  foundation  for  the  houses  in  which  they  celebrated 
their  mysterious  rites.  Another  explanation  is  that  tribes  migrated 
from  the  south  to  the  north,  and  that  as  they  migrated  they  took 
the  various  religious  systems  which  prevailed  among  them  in 
their  former  condition,  but  in  other  respects  they  yielded  to  the 
new  surroundings  and  became  wilder  and  ruder  in  their  mode  of 
life,  the  pyramid  being  about  the  only  sign  of  their  former  state 
that  is  left.  These  are,  however,  merely  conjectural  theories. 
The  home  of  the  pyramid-builders  as  such  was  not  in  north- 
ern territory,  for  it  is  understood  that  the  pyramids  are  mainly 
found  in  the  Gulf  States,  and  that  in  that  region  they  were  de- 
voted to  sun-worship,  which  is  the  cult  to  which  the  pyramids 
are  sacred  in  all  parts  of  the  globe. 

As  to  the  use  of  the  pyramids,  it  has  been  generally  sup- 
posed that  the  pyramids  were  all  built  on  thebanks  of  streams  or 
on  low  ground  which  was  liable  to  be  submerged.  The  object 
of  building  them  was  to  make  them  a  place  of  refuge  or  retreat 
in  time  of  high  water.  Such  may  have  have  been  the  case  with 
these  works  near  Cahokia,  on  Cahokia  Creek,  and  yet  the  pyra- 


112  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

mids  upon  the  west  side  of  the  river  were  upon  high  ground,  on 
the  third  terrace,  which  is  never  reached  by  the  water.     The  same 
contrast  may  be  recognized  in  other  places.     Many  of  the  pyr- 
amids on  the  Mississippi  River  are  on  low  ground,  and  near  the 
banks  of  the  river,  or  near   some  bayou  which  is  conected  with 
the  river.     There   are,  however,  certain   pyramids  remote  from 
any  stream,  and  situated  on  high  land   and  in  such  positions  as 
to  preclude  the  idea  that  they  were  built  for  retreats.     The  Mes- 
sier mound  is  a  specimen  of  this  kind.     It  is  not  one  of  a  group, 
but  stands  apart,  prominent  in  its  size,  marked  in  its  peculiarities 
and  attended  with  a  single  conical  mound.     This   pyramid   re- 
minds us   of  the   truncated   platform   at   Martin's   Ferry,   West 
Virginia,  though  that  is  in  the  region  where  squares  and  circles 
are  the  typical   shape.     The   Etowah  mound,  in   Georgia,  is  on 
low  ground  which  is  liable  to  be  flooded,  but  there  are  pyramids 
on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ocmulgee  River,  opposite  the  City  of 
Macon,  which  are  situated  upon  the  summit  of  a  natural  hill,  and 
occupy  a  commanding  position.     This,  we  think,  disposes  of  the 
idea  that  the  pyramids  were  built   only  for  refuges   for  the  peo- 
ple in  times  of  high  water.     They  were  evidently  typical  struc- 
tures, which   were   erected   under  the   power  of  some  religious 
sentiments  and  were  the  results  not  only  of  the  religious  system 
but  are  significant  of  the  tribal  organization.     The  custom  among 
these  tribes  was  to  place  the  houses  of  the  chiefs  and  priests 
upon  a  higher  level  than  those  of  the  common   people.     There 
is  a  great  contrast  between  the  works   of  the  northern  districts 
and  those  found  in  the  southern  or  Gulf  States  in  this  particular. 
In  the  northern  districts  the  hunters'  life  prevailed,  and  the  people 
were  on  an  equality  with  the  chiefs  and  priests  or  medicine  men. 
In  the  southern  districts  the  people  were  agriculturists,  but  there 
existed  among  them   a   superior  class — clan  elders,  chiefs,  and 
priests  or  medicine  men,  having  great  power;  but  the  people 
were  contented  with  their  exercise  of  power.     This  was  the  case 
among  the  tribes  after  the  beginning  of  history.     We  call  them 
all  Indian,  but  a  great  difference  existed   between   the    Indians 
who  were  mere  hunters  of  the   forests  in  the   north   and  those 
who  were  the  agriculturists  in  the  south. 


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MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  113 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


THE  MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

One  of  the  most  striking  peculiarities  about  the  Mound-build- 
ers was  that  they  avoided  the  coast  and  concentrated  their  forces 
thoroughly  in  the  interior,  making  the  rivers  their  special  places 
of  resort.  We  have  already  spoken  of  this  in  connection  with 
the  Mississippi  River,  and  have  shown  that  it  was  the  great 
thoroughfare  for  the  prehistoric  races,  the  migrations  of  the 
races  having  been  along  its  channels  in  both  directions.  Some 
of  the  races — such  as  the  Dakotas — are  known  to  have  passed 
up  from  the  south  to  the  north,  Perhaps  the  Mound-builders 
passed  down  from  the  north  to  the  south  at  an  earlier  date.  The 
Missouri  River  was  another  great  artery  which  supplied  life  to 
the  Mound-builders'  territory.  It  is  said  that  there  are  various 
mounds  of  the  pyramidal  type  on  the  Missouri  River,  and  that 
these  have  been  traced  at  intervals  along  the  channels,  giving 
evidence  that  this  was  the  route  which  the  pyramid-builders  took 
before  they  reached  the  stopping  place.  At  its  mouth  was  the 
capital  of  the  pyramid-builders.  The  Ohio  River  was  also  an 
artery  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory.  It  was  the  channel 
through  which  the  various  Mound-builders  poured.  The  Ohio 
River  was  the  dividing  line  between  the  northern  class  of  mound- 
builders,  who  were  probably  hunters,  and  the  southern  class,  who 
were  agriculturists.  It  was  itself  occupied  by  a  people  who 
were  in  a  mingled  agricultural  and  hunter  state.  They  were, 
however,  so  surrounded  by  war-like  tribes  as  to  be  obliged  to 
dwell  in  fortified  villages;  and  so  it  was  the  home  of  the  "village" 
mound-builders. 

There  is  no  more  interesting  region  in  all  the  mound-builders' 
territory  than  this  one  through  which  the  Ohio  River  ran.  It 
was  the  favorite  resort  for  the  Mound-builders  throughout  all 
the  prehistoric  times.  There  were  prairies  to  the  west,  which 
were  occupied  by  a  class  of  people  whose  works  and  relics  are 
still  prevalent,  whom  we  call  nomadics.  There  was  to  the  east 
and  northeast  another  class  of  Mound-builders — a  class  whose 
works  show  that  they  were  military  in  their  character,  possibly 
the  same  race  which  recently  dwelt  in  New  York  State,  and  who 
also  left  their  tokens  all  along  the  shores  of  the  great  lakes  and 
extended  into  the  State  of  Michigan.  To  the  south  and  south- 
east were  the  remarkable  works  which  have  been  ascribed  to  the 
Cherokees,  some  of  which  belonged  to  an  unknown  class  of 
Mound-builders  who  preceded  them.  To  the  southwest  were 
the  many  different  tribes  of  mound-builders — the  stone  grave 
people,  the  lodge  dwellers  and  the  pyramid-builders 


114 


THE  MOTJND-BUILDERS. 


The  pyramid-builders  were  situated  farther  to  the  south,  in 
the  Gulf  States,  though  a  portion  of  them  were  located  at  the 
mouth  of  the  river,  in  Illinois.  There  are  also  pyramids  scat- 
tered along  the  Missouri  River  as  far  north  as  Dakota.  Some 
have  thought  that  this  proves  that  that  they  came  originally  from 
the  northwest  and  that  their  route  was  down  this  river.  This 
theory  is  not  carried  out,  however,  by  tradition,  for  one  of  these 
make  the  pyramid-builders  to  have  originated  in  Mexico  and 
their  route  to  have  been  from  the  west  to  the  east.  Another 
makes  their  origin  to  have  been  somewhere  west,  but  their  route, 
owing^to  enemies  which  they  met,  was  up  the  river  on  one  side 
and  down  on  the  other,  and  so  across  the  Ohio  into  Tennessee 
and  the  region  east,  into  the  neighborhood  of  the  Atlantic  coast. 


ea^ 


Vv  it 


>l% 


■■;*«■"■_  "^■^*vf 


Vi     *^?v». 


•s'^-. 


fBi¥: .  a 


Fig,  1. — Grave  Greek  Mound. 

These,  however,  were  all  on  rivers  connected  with  the  Ohio,  so 
that  one  could  pass  from  the  region  of  the  Ohio  Mound-builders' 
to  nearly  all  the  other  districts  where  mounds  have  been  discov- 
ered and  not  leave  the  boat  or  canoe  in  which  he  started,  as  the 
rivers  were  all  navigable.  VVe  see,  then,  that  the  Ohio  River 
was  very  central,  that  it  not  only  traversed  the  mound-builders' 
territory,  but.  with  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri,  may  be  said 
to  have  drained  the  entire  upper  half  of  it,  and  by  its  branches 
— the  Cumberland,  the  Tennessee  and  the  Kenawha — it  also 
drained  much  of  the  lower  half. 

Now  we  propose  to  enter  this  district  and  make  a  special  study 
of  it.  We  shall  study  it,  however,  mainly  as  a  thoroughfare, 
through  which  the  Mound-builders  passed,  or  as  a  center  from 
which  they  scattered,  and  shall  seek  evidences  of  their  migra- 
tions, and,  if  possible,  learn  the  direction  they  took,  and  the 
dates  or  periods,  or  at  least  the  order  of  each.     It  should  be 


i 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


115 


noticed  at  the  outset  that  the  Mound-builders  of  the  Ohio  River 
were  divided  into  different  classes,  some  of  them  being  earlier 
and  some  later  in  the  district.  Several  may  be  recognized.  It 
still  further  may  be  stated  that  along  this  river  a  division  has 
been  recognized  in  the  works  of  the  district,  one  class  being 
situated  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Alleghany  River,  another  on 
the  Muskingum  and  Scioto,  a  third  on  the  Miami,  and  from  the 
Miami  to  the  Wabash,  a  fourth  on  the  Wabash,  from  the  Wabash 
to  the  Missouri,  a  fifth  class  on  the  Cumberland  and  the  Ten- 
nessee, a  sixth  class  on  the  St.  Francis  in  Arkansas,  a  little  beyond 
the  mouth  of  the  Ohio,  and  a  seventh  class  on  the  Kentucky 
and  the  Kenawha.  All  of  these  are,  however,  closely  connected 
with  the  Ohio,  as  the  great  artery  through  which  the  life  of  the 
mound-builders  flowed. 

We  find  a  great  variety  of  races  in  these  localities,  as  each 
sub-district  had  a  class  of  earth-works  peculiar  to  itself — the 


z^Httru^i*^  If  B  G  S'fiUi-  HATT' 


Fig.  2.— Map  of  Works  on  Paint  Creek, 

chambered  tomb  on  the  Alleghany,  of  which  the  Grave  Greek 
mound  is  a  type  (see  Fig.  i);  the  sacred  circles  and  village  enclo- 
sures on  the  Scioto  (see  Fig.  2)  and  Muskingum;  the  ancient 
forts  on  the  Little  and  Big  Miami  (see  Fig.  3);  the  conical 
mounds  on  the  Wabash  River  (see  Fig.  4);  the  lodge  circles  and 
walled  villages  on  the  St.  Francis  River;  the  stone  graves  on  the 
Cumberland  River  (see  Fig.  5),  and  the  bee-hive  tomb  on  the 
Kenawha  River.  The  strangest  feature  of  all  is  that  in  this 
region  we  find  the  representatives  of  all  the  mound-builders' 
woiks — the  great  serpent  representing  the  effigy-builders,  the 
altar  mounds  and  fire-beds  apparently  representing  the  hunters 
of  Iowa;  the  pyramids  near  Evansville  representing  the  pyra- 
mid-builders; the  bee-hive  tombs  representing  the  mountaineers 
in  North  Carolina;  the  circular  enclosures,  representing  the  sun 
worshipers ;  some  of  the  fortifications  representing  the  military 
people  of  New  York  ;  the  stone  forts  representing  the  stone 
grave  people  of  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  and  the  ash  pits  rep- 
resenting the  later  race  of  hunters  which  traversed  the  region  at 
a  late  date. 


116 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


We  may  say,  then,  that  it  is  a  peculiarly  favorable  place  to 
study  the  migrations  of  the  Mound-builders,  as  well  as  of  the 
later  Indians.  Now  in  reference  to  this  subject  of  migration,  we 
are  aware  that  various  writers  have  treated  of  it,  and  it  may  be 
regarded  as  a  test  case,  having  great  bearing  on  the  mound- 
builders'  problem.  It  may  be  well,  then,  to  refer  to  these  opin- 
ions before  we  go  further.  We  shall  speak  first  of  the  theory 
which  Dr.  Thomas  has  advanced.  It  is  that  the  Mound-builders 
of  the  Alleghany  River,  those  of  Southern  Ohio,  of  the  Kenawha 
Valley  and  of  Eastern  Tennessee,  were  all  the  same  people  and 
were  the  ancestors  of  the  Cherokees.  Opposite  to  this  theory 
is  that  of  Sir  Wm,  Dawson,  who  holds  that  the  Mound-builders 


Fig.  S.—Fort  at  Hardinsburgh,  on  the  Miami  River. 

were  a  people  similar  to  the  Toltecan  race.  Their  features  re- 
semble the  softer  features  of  the  Polynesians.  Dr.  Dawson 
thinks,  however,  that  the  Algonkins  were  a  later  people  and  that 
they  came  from  the  southeast,  or,  as  he  says,  from  the  "equator- 
ial Atlantic" — a  theory  perfectly  untenable.  Dr.  Horatio  Hale 
holds  that  the  Algonkins  came  from  the  northwest,  but  that  they 
found  the  Mound-builders  before  them.  He  locates  them  at  first 
north  of  the  Ohio,  making  their  course  to  be  south  and  across 
this  river.  Dr.  Daniel  Wilson,  however,  holds  that  the  Mound- 
builders  were  made  up  of  a  number  of  races;  some  of  them  were 
allied  to  the  Toltecan,  or,  possibly,  to  the  Malays  ;  some  to  the 
Algonkins  and  the  Mongolian  stock;  and  some  to  the  ancient 
Hochelagans,  of  which  the  Eries  and  the  Alleghans  were  the 
fragments.  The  opinion  we  advance  is  similar  to  that  of  Dr. 
Wilson,  but  in  addition  we  would  suggest  that  some  of  them  were 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


117 


allied  to  the  Iberians,  and  that  the  sun-worshipers  and  serpent- 
worshipers  of  the  Ohio  River  were  similar  to  the  class  who  left 
their  symbols  in  Great  Britain  and  in  Western  Europe. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  different  theories,  and  are  to  take  our 
choice  out  of  them  all.     Our  work,  however,  is  not  to  advance 


iiiii,iiiiii!fiiii 


•%\]  m>  pip' -^^i'' 

.nil  i*  /?  Is  ^\N  I  .•;''K(i-i  !ii     '"■•■'     -11.,; 


'■"■i''J',!:!'ii',\\' 

,    'BIf 


i'l.l 


and  prove  a  theory,  but  to  study  the  tokens  and  ascertain  what 
their  testimony  is.  We  enter  the  field,  which  is  very  rich  in 
prehistoric  works,  but  these  require  the  closest  study  for  us 
to  separate  the  tokens  and  assign  them  to  the  proper  dates  and 
order  and  races,  and  learn  from  them  the  order  and  the  direction 
which  those  races  observed  in  their  migrations. 

The  question   is.  How  are  we  to  do  this?     We  answer  that 
there  are  three  ways.     First,  we  may  take  the  location  and  the 


118 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


traditions  of  the  Indians;  second,  we  may  take  the  works  of 
this  district  and  compare  them  with  other  earth-works,  noticing 
the  resemblances  and  studying  the  similarity  of  customs  and 
habits;  and,  third,  we  may  take  the  relics  of  the  Mound  builders 
and  see  what  relics  are  found  in  this  district,  and  how  they  com- 
pare with  those  found  elsewhere.  V/e  take  the  Ohio  as  con- 
nected with  other  rivers  and  as  a  center  as  connected  with  other 
centers,  and  see  that  it  was  a  great  thoroughfare  for  the  prehis- 
toric races. 


■If  ^I<^JKS»^ 

32  Jlcres  ^^ 


Fig.  5.— Typical  Fort  of  the  Stone  Grave  People. 

I.  First,  let  us  consider  the  traditions  of  the  Indian  tribes  as 
to  their  migrations:  i.  The  Cherokees  were  a  tribe  situated,  at 
the  opening  of  history,  among  the  mountains  of  East  Tennes- 
see and  perhaps  as  far  east  as  North  Carolina.  There  is  a  com- 
mon tradition  that  the  Cherokees  were  at  one  time  in  the  Ohio 
Valley.  2.  The  Dakotas ;  this  tribe  or  stock  was,  at  the  opening 
of  history,  located  west  of  the  Mississippi  River,  in  the  State 
which  bears  their  name.  The  Dakotas  have  a  tradition  that  they 
were  once  on  the  Ohio  River,  and  that  they  migrated  from  there 
to  the  west.  3.  The  Natchez  were  a  tribe  formerly  situated 
near  the  City  of  Natchez.  They  were  sun-worshipers.  It  is 
supposed  by  some  that  the  Natchez  built  the  sun  symbols  in 
Ohio,  but  that  they  changed  their  methods  and  adopted  the 
pyramid  as  their  typical  work   afterward.      4.  The  Tetons,  a 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


119 


branch  of  the  Dakotas,  were  probably  once  in  this  region,  though 
their  home  was  afterward  in  the  northern  part  of  Georgia.  5. 
The  Eries  have  been  spoken  of  as  possibly  the  ancestors  of  the 
Mound-builders  and  as  belonging  to  the  same  stock  as  the  Alle- 
ghewis  of  tradition.  6.  The  Shawnees,  a  tribe  of  the  Algonkin 
stock.  They  were  great  wanderers,  and  left  their  tokens  in 
many  localities.  The  district  is  full  of  graves  of  the  Shawnees, 
which  are  interspersed  among  the  works  of  the  preceding 
mound-builders,  but  which  are  easily  distinguishable  from  them 
by  their  modern  appearance  and  by  certain  characteristics  which 
are  indefinable,  but  which  are  nevertheless  easily  recognizable. 
7.  The  Iroquois  have  reached  as  far  south  as  the  Ohio  River. 
We  should  undoubtedly  find  various  relics  left  by  this  tribe  in 
the  periods  preceding  history. 


Sg§^ 


Fig.  6.— Burial  Mounds  on  the  Scioto  River,  Ohio. 

Now  the  point  we  make  is  that  possibly  we  may  find  in  the 
traditions  of  one  or  all  of  these  tribes  something  which  will  help 
us  to  identify  the  mounds  and  relics  of  the  region  with  the  peo- 
ple who  built  them.  We  must,  however,  consider  one  thing 
before  we  undertake  this.  While  there  are  traditions  among  the 
Indians  as  to  their  former  struggles  and  conquests  about  this  re- 
gion, there  are  also  evidences  of  preceding  migrations,  and  this 
evidence  comes  to  us  as  a  confirmation  that  the  Mound-builders 
here  were  not  one  people  but  many.  In  fact,  it  was  a  swarming 
place  for  several  tribes  or  stocks.  With  this  point  in  mind  we 
may  safely  take  up  tradition  as  one  source  of  evidence.  The 
great  rivers  are  supposed  to  have  a  record  of  migrations  written 
upon  their  banks,  the  works  and  the  various  traditions  of  the 
Indians  being  by  some  identified  with  each  river  and  the  promi- 
nent mounds  on  each  having  been  identified  as  the  seat  of  some 
great  event  known  in  history  or  tradition. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  tradition,  which  has  been  repeated  so 
many  times  by  the  natives  and  gathered  by  the  missionaries  and 
by  Schoolcraft,  Heckwelder  and  others,  in  relation  to  the  very 
migration  we  are  now  considering,  has  been  located  in  many  dif- 
ferent places — first  on  the  Mississippi,  next  on  the  St.  Lawrence, 


120  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

next  on  the  St.  Clair.  It  seems  to  have  found  its  last  resting  place 
in  this  very  district,  at  the  head-waters  of  the  Ohio.  The  cele- 
brated Grave  Creek  mound  is  said  to  be  the  very  spot  where  the 
event  is  commemorated.  Now  we  would  not  depreciate  the 
value  of  the  tradition  as  one  of  the  connecting  links  between  the 
history  of  the  Mound-builders  and  the  modern  Indians,  but  refer 
to  the  point  as  an  evidence  of  the  importance  of  discrimination 
in  the  matter  of  migrations. 

Haywood  says  the  Cherokees  had  a  tradition  in  which  was 
contained  the  history  of  their  migrations.  It  was  that  they  came 
from  the  upper  part  of  the  Ohio,  where  they  erected  earth- 
works. But  there  is  a  map  contained  in  Catlin's  book  on  the 
Indians  which  represents  the  route  taken  by  the  Mandans,  a 
branch  of  the  Dakotas.  This  map  makes  Ohio  the  starting 
point  of  that  people,  and  the  head-waters  of  the  Missouri  the 
termination  of  their  wanderings.  We  regard  this  tradition  as 
important  as  that  of  the  Delawares  or  of  the  Iroqnois,  but  it  is 
a  tradition  which  gives  just  the  opposite  direction  for  the  route 
of  the  Mound-builders  of  the  district.  How  shall  we  reconcile 
the  two  accounts?  Our  method  of  reconciling  is  one  which  we 
take  from  the  study  of  the  mounds.  The  Dakota  tradition  refers 
to  a  migration  which  probably  preceded  all  the  records  of  either 
the  Teleghewi,  the  Cherokees,  the  Delawares  and  the  Iroquois, 
the  migration  of  the  strange  serpent  worshipers  originally  occu- 
pying this  district.  Our  position  is  that  ali  of  the  traditions  are 
important,  but  they  prove  a  succession  of  populations  in  this 
region.  If  Dr.  Thomas  is  to  locate  the  Cherokees  here,  we  also 
locate  the  ancestors  of  the  Dakotas.  and  leave  the  way  open  for 
others  to  locate  other  tribes,  so  making  the  Mound-builders  not 
one.  but  diverse  and  long  continued.     This  is  our  point. 

We  may  well  take  up  the  study  of  locality  as  connected  with 
the  traditions.  Heckwelder  says  the  Lenni  Lenape  resided,  many 
hundred  years  ago,  in  a  distant  country  in  the  west.  They 
migrated  eastward,  and  came  to  a  fort  and  large  town  of  the 
Namaesippi,  as  they  called  the  country  occupied  by  the  Telle- 
ghewi,who  had  many  large  towns  and  regular  fortifications. 
One  of  these  towns  was  near  the  mouth  of  the  Huron,  and  here 
are  the  mounds  containing  the  bodies  of  the  slain  Telleghewi. 
Heckwelder  also  says  the  Mengwe  and  the  Lenni  Lenape  united 
their  forces,  and  great  battles  were  fought.  The  enemy  fortified 
their  large  towns  and  erected  fortifications  on  the  rivers  and 
lakes.  The  war  lasted  many  years.  In  the  end  the  invaders 
conquered  and  divided  the  country  between  them.  The  Mengwe 
made  choice  of  the  lands  in  the  vicinity  of  the  great  lakes,  and 
the  Lenape  took  possession  of  the  country  to  the  south.  The 
Alleghewi,  finding  destruction  inevitable,  abandoned  the  coun- 
try and  fled  down  the  Mississippi,  from  whence  they  never  re- 
turned.    Here,  then,  we   have  the   Algonkin   account,   and   we 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  121 

seem  to  be  looking  at  a  picture  of  the  Mound-builders  who 
had  occupied  the  territory.  There  is  a  discrepancy,  however, 
in  the  tradition,  or  rather  the  interpretation  of  it.  The  scene  is 
located  on  the  Namaesippi.  which  Heckwelder  calls  the  Missis- 
sippi, and  the  flight  is  down  that  river ;  but  Heckwelder,  in 
another  place,  locates  one  great  battle  nearly  west  ot  the  St. 
Clair  and  another  just  south  of  Lake  Erie,  where  hundreds  of 
the  Telleghewi  were  buried  in  the  mounds.  This  tradition 
accords  with  the  passages  in  Cusick's  narrative,  a  narrative  which 
comes  from  the  Iroquois  rather  than  from  the  Delawares  or 
Lenapes.  It  also  may  accord  with  the  poetical  account  contained 
in  the  Walum  Olum,  or  the  red  score  of  the  Delawares,  trans- 
lated by  Dr.  D.  G.  Brinton.  Mr.  Hale,  in  The  American  Anti- 
quarian, has  said  that  the  country  from  which  the  Lenni  Lenape 
migrated  was  "Shinake,  the  land  of  fir  trees."  the  woody  region 
north  of  Lake  Superior,  and  thinks  that  the  River  St.  Lawrence 
is  meant  by  the  word  great  river  Namaesippi.  He,  however, 
locates  the  battle  mounds  at  St.  Clair  and  the  Detroit  River  and 
makes  the  Hurons  the  allies  of  the  Lenape.  All  the  accounts 
agree  in  this,  that  the  Telleghewi  were  east  of  a  great  river  and 
that  they  were  defeated  and  driven  south.  Dr.  Thomas  thinks 
that  the  tradition  assists  him  in  carrying  out  the  full  identifica- 
tion of  the  T^elleghewi  with  the  mound-builders  of  this  middle 
district,  whom  he  regards  as  the  ancestors  ot  the  Cherokees. 
He  says  that  the  Telleghewi  or  Tsalake  was  the  name  the  Cher- 
kees  gave  themselves.  The  tradition  of  the  Cherokees  refers  to 
the  region  of  the  Upper  Ohio  as  their  former  home.  The  testi- 
mony of  the  mounds  and  of  the  Walum  Olum  are  in  accord 
with  the  Grave  Creek  mound  and  those  found  in  the  Kenawha 
Valley,  and  when  compared  with  the  Ohio  mounds  prove  that 
this  was  their  home  and  the  retreat  was  by  way  of  the  Kenawha 
River.  Now  this  is  very  plausible,  and,  so  far  as  it  goes,  it  may 
prove  satisfactory.  Still  we  may  say  that  there  are  traditions 
which  locate  other  tribes  in  the  same  region,  tribes  which  are  of 
entirely  different  stock  from  the  Alleghewi.  On  this  point  we 
would  refer  to  the  map  contained  in  Catlin's  Indians  and  to  the 
one  prepared  by  Mr.  J.  O.  Dorsey.  These  show  that  the  tradi- 
tionary route  of  the  Dakotas  was  in  the  opposite  direction  from 
that  of  the  Cherokees. 

II.  We  now  turn  to  the  earth-works.  We  have  said  that 
there  are  many  earth-works  in  this  district,  and  that  they  can  be 
divided  both  according  to  their  geographical  location  and  their 
chronological  horizon.  We  have  also  said  that  the  representa- 
tives of  the  works  of  other  districts  are  found  in  this,  and  that 
these  representatives  may  help  us  to  identify  the  people  who 
once  passed  through  this  great  channel.  We  are  now  to  take 
up  the  different  districts  and  see  what  similarities  there  are.  Let 
us  first  notice  the  centers  of  population.     It  is  very  remarkable 


122 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


that  these  centers  very  closely  correspond  in  .the  historic  and 
the  prehistoric  times.  To  illustrate :  The  effigies  are  near  the 
cities  of  Madison  and  Milwaukee,  Wisconsin  ;  the  burial  mounds 
of  one  class  are  not  far  from  St.  Paul,  another  class  not  far  from 
Davenport,  Icwa ;  the  serpent  mound  (see  Fig,  8)  not  far  from 

Quincy.  Illinois ;  a 
pyramid  mound  just 
opposite  St.  Louis, 
others  near  the  City 
of  Natchez,  Mississ- 
ippi; the  stone  grave 
people  near  the  City 
Nashville.  Tennes- 
see; the  bee  -  hive 
tombs  near  the  City 
Knoxville,  Tennes- 
see ;  the  Grave  Creek 
mound  not  far  from 
Pittsburg;  the  sacred 
enclosures  near  Chil- 
licothe,  Newark  and 
Cincinnati,  and  the 
very  large  conical 
mounds  near  De- 
troit, Vincennes  (see 
Fig.  4),  Dayton  and 
Hamilton. 

Here,  then,  we 
have  a  map  of  the 
country,  with  the 
centers  marked.  The 
rivers  [also  unite 
these  centers  —  the 
Alleghany,  Muskin- 
gum, the  Miami,  the 
Wabash,  the  Cum- 
berland, the  Tennes- 
see, the  Illinois,  the 
Wisconsin,  the  Iowa, 
the  DesMoines,  the 
Missouri,  the  St.  Francis,  the  Red,  the  Arkansas,  the  Yazoo,  the 
Ocmulgee,  the  Tombigbee,  the  Kenawha  and  the  Kentucky,  and 
they  all  contain  mounds  on  their  banks. 

III.  The  que3tion  is  about  the  resemblances  between  the  works 
in  these  different  centers  and  those  on  the  Ohio.  There  may  be 
resemblances  where  there  were  no  migrations,  but  the  probabil- 
ties  are  that  they  were  caused  by  the  adherence  of  the  migrat- 
ng  tribes  to  their  former  customs,  the  people  retaining  the  signs 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


123 


and  burial  customs  wherever  they  went.  This  is  seen  in  many 
districts.  The  sun-worshipers  built  the  circles  and  squares,  the 
serpent-worshipers  built  serpent  effigies,  the  pyramid-builders 
built  platforms,  the  hunters  built  lookout  mounds  and  game 
drives,  the  military  people  built  forts ;  but  they  went  elsewhere, 
for  we' find  serpent  effigies,  circular  enclosures,  lookout  mounds, 
fortifications,  burial  chambers,  altar  mounds  and  pyramids  in 
other  localities  as  well  as  here. 

We  give  here  cuts  of  the  serpent  in  Ohio  and  of  the  serpent 
efficrv  near  Ouincy,  Illinois.  These  effigies  are  respectively 
1250  and  1406  feet  in  length.  They  are  both  conformed  to  the 
shape  of  the  bluffs  on  which  they  were  erected,  and  have  other 
features  which  are  similar. 

This,  then,  is  the  point  we  make  in  connection  with  the  mid- 
dle district.   '  We  enter  this  district  and  find  that  different  races 


Fig.  S. — Serpent  Mound  in  Illinois. 

passed  through  it.  Some  were  early  and  some  late.  We  also 
find  that  the  tribes  went  in  different  directions,  some  going  to 
the  south  and  along  the  sea  coast,  and  became  the  sea  coast 
people;  some  to  the  southwest,  across  the  mountains,  and  be- 
came mountaineers;  some  to  the  west,  to  the  prairie  region,  and 
became  hunters;  some  to  the  Gulf  States,  and  became  agricul- 
turists. All  the  works  in  these  different  districts  show  that  the 
people  were  once  in  the  middle  district  and  had  made  the  Ohio 
River,  or  at  least  a  part  of  it,  their  stopping  place.  There  is, 
however,  one  thing  to  be  noticed.  While  the  representatives  of 
all  the  districts  are  contained  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  yet  the 
different  parts  of  that  valley  are  to  be  considered,  for  the  pyra- 
mid-builders never  appeared  on  the  eastern  waters,  the  sun- 
worshipers  never  in  the  western  part,  the  fort-builders  erected 
their  wcrks  in  the  middle  part,  and  the  serpent-worshipers 
merely  passed  through  or  crossed  over  the  central  part,  and  ulti- 
mately built  their  works  in  distant  regions.  This  is  the  way  we 
reconcile  the  different  theories,  as  to  the  modern  migrations 
which  are  recorded  in  history  and  in  tradition.  The  Cherokees 
may  have  migrated  through  the  eastern  part  of  this  valley.  If 
they  did,  it  was  at  a  comparatively  recent  date,  for  all  their  works 


124 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


and  relics  show  this.  The  Shawnees  may  also  have  passed  up 
and  down  the  same  valley,  but  this  was  at  a  recent  date.  We  have 
reason  to  believe  that  a  race  of  sun-worshipers  preceded  these 
and  that  this  race  built  the  sun  circles  on  the  Kenawha  River, 
in  West  Virginia,  and  on  the  Wateree  River,  in  South  Carolina, 
although  it  is  very  uncertain  which  direction  they  took  in  their 
migrations. 

There  is  another  fact  which  should  be  noticed.  The  mounds 
were  built  at  different  times,  and  by  different  races.  They  con- 
tain layers  which  are  like  the  strata  of  geology.  These  give 
different  chronological  horizons  and  represent  different  periods. 
An  illustration  of  this  is  given.  See  Fig.  9;  also  Fig.  ii.  Here 
we  have  a  mound  which  contains  a  horizontal  burial,  two  bodies 
in  a  sitting  posture,  and  an  altar  at  the  base.  These  were  not 
intruded  burials,  but  were  the  work  of  successive  races  or  tribes 
which  passed  through  this  valley,  each  one  of  which  added  to 
the  height  of  the  monnd.     The  same  thought  is  conveyed  also 


.oflfilM 


Ml!MmifclSliok-«s«>i^ 


Fig,  9. — Altar  Mound  on  the  Kenawha. 


by  the  different  kinds  of  mounds  found  in  one  locality.  Some 
tribes  built  chambered  tombs,  others  stratified  mounds  and  others 
altar  mounds. 

We  take  up  the  chambered  mounds  first,  the  class  of  which  the 
Grave  Creek  mound  is  the  representative.  We  say  that  this 
class  of  mounds  is  somewhat  exceptional  in  Ohio,  but  they  seem 
to  be  later  than  the  sacred  enclosures,  or  at  least  they  are  to  be 
assigned  to  a  different  race.  We  notice  from  the  description  given 
by  Squier  and  Davis  that  they  are  rarely  if  ever  found  inside  of 
enclosures,  but  are  generally  isolated  on  hilltops.  We  find  also 
that  they  contain  an  entirely  different  class  of  relics,  and  are 
constructed  after  a  different  pattern. 

It  seems  to  be  the  opinion  of  certain  archaeologists  that  the 
Grave  Creek  mound  is  the  one  which  figures  conspicuously  in 
tradition,  and  that  this  is  the  monument  of  the  Alleghewies  or 
Cherokees.  It  may  be  said  of  it  that  it  differs  from  most  of  the 
mounds  in  Ohio  in  that  it  is  isolated,  having  no  earth-works  in 
the  neighborhood.  It  is  a  chambered  mound.  In  fact,  it  con- 
tained two  chambers,  one  above  the  other.  Each  chamber  was 
square  and  contained  a  number  of  bodies.  The  manner  of 
building  the  chamber  was  as  follows:  A  scries  of  timbers  or 
posts  were  placed  on  end,  forming  the  wall  of  the  chamber. 
Other  timbers  were  placed  across  these  upright  posts,  so  as  to 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  125 

form  a  roof.  This  roof  had  decayed  and  fallen  in,  so  that  when 
the  mound  was  first  visited  it  contained  a  hollow  place  at  its 
summit.  At  the  time  of  the  exploration  the  two  chambers  be- 
came mingled  together,  the  dirt  falling  from  the  upper  into  the 
lower.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  same  race  erected  both 
chambers.  The  mound  was  a  very  high  one,  was  situated  so  as 
to  give  a  view  of  the  Ohio  River,  and  may  have  been  used  as  a 
lookout  station  as  well  as  a  burial  place.  The  Grave  Creek 
mound  also  contained  one  skeleton  in  the  upper  chamber,  and 
two  in  the  lower  chamber,  and  it  may  be  conjectured  that  they 
were  sepulchral  chambers,  which  contained  the  bones  of  the 
family  of  the  chieftan  or  distinguished  individuals  among  the 
tribe  of  the  builders.  With  these  skeletons  were  found  three  or 
four  thousand  shell  beads,  several  bracelets  of  copper  and  various 
articles  carved  in  stone.  It  is  said,  however,  that  on  reaching 
the  lower  vault  it  was  determined  to  enlarge  it  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  visitors,  and  in  so  doing  ten  more  skeletons  were 
discovered,  all  in  a  sitting  posture,  but  in  so  fragile  a  state  as  to 
defy  all  attempts  at  preservation.  We  might  say  in  connection 
with  this  Grave  Creek  mound  and  the  theory  that  it  was  built 
by  the  Cherokees,  that  the  tablet  about  which  so  much  discussion 
has  arisen,  was  said  to  be  found  in  the  lower  chamber,  though 
it  may  have  dropped  from  the  upper  one.  It  is  now  over  twenty 
years  since  the  tablet  was  thrown  out  of  court,  its  evidence 
having  been  impeached  so  many  times  that  it  has  no  weight  in 
solving  the  problem.  Still,  inasmuch  as  the  Cherokees  have  an 
alphabet,  which  was  said  to  have  been  introduced  or  invented  by 
the  Cherokee  Sequoia,  and  as  other  stones  have  been  discovered 
with  alphabetic  characters  on  them,  perhaps  the  case  should  be 
reconsidered. 

There  are  very  few  mounds  in  Ohio  which  contain  chambers 
like  these.  While  there  were  various  mounds  which  contained 
single  chambers  made  from  logs,  they  were  generally  compara- 
tively small  mounds,  and  the  chambers  within  them  were  much 
smaller.  Squier  and  Davis  have  spoken  of  a  sepulchral  mound 
on  the  east  bank  of  the  Scioto  River,  one  of  a  group,  which  was 
twenty-two  feet  high  by  ninety  feet  base.  At  ten  feet  below  the 
surface  occurred  a  layer  of  charcoal;  at  the  depth  of  twenty-two 
feet  was  a  frame-work  of  timber,  nine  feet  long,  seven  feet  wide 
and  twenty  inches  wide,  which  had  been  covered  with  unhewn 
logs.  The  bottom  had  been  covered  with  bark  matting,  and  upon 
the  matting  was  a  single  skeleton.  Around  the  neck  of  the 
skeleton  was  a  triple  row  of  beads  made  of  marine  shells,  several 
hundred  m  number,  and  the  tusks  of  some  animal.  This  is  the 
mound,  however,  to  which  we  have  referred  already.  It  was  a 
mound  which,  in  its  location,  showed  that  it  was  not  one  which 
belonged  to  the  sun-worshipers.  It  was  situated  six  miles  from 
Chillicothe,  on  a  hill,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  any  enclosure, 


126 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


though  surrounded  by  other  burial  mounds  of  the  same  shape. 
See  Fig.  6.  This  mound  we  ascribe  to  a  different  race  from  those 
who  built  the  altar  mounds  and  the  enclosures. 

Dr.  Thomas  speaks  of  two  mounds  in  the  Kenawha  Valley, 
one  called  the  Smith  mound  and  the  other  No.  23,  one  being  35 
feet  high  and  175  feet  in  circumference,  the  other  25  feet  high 
and  312  feet  in  circumference.  Both  contained  chambers  made 
from  logs,  one  of  them  13  feet  long  and  12  wide,  the  other  12 
feet  across  and  some  10  feet  high.  Both  were  in  the  form  of  a 
pen.  It  appears  that  the  great  Smith  mound  contained  five  skel- 
tons,  one  very  large,  over  seven  feet  long.     Each  wrist  was 

encircled      by       copper 


Fig,, 10—  Village  Enclosure  on  the  Scioto  River. 


bracelets;     upon     the 
breast  was  a  copper  gor- 
get; in  each  hand  were 
three  flint   lance-heads; 
near   the  right   hand   a 
small  hematite  celt  and 
a   stone    axe;   upon  the 
shoulder  three  sheets  of 
mica  and   a  fragment  of 
dressed  skin,  which  had 
been    preserved   by  the 
copper.  Another  mound 
situated  in  the  valley  of 
the  Scioto  River,  on  the 
very  lowest  terrace  (see  Fig.  10),  where  the  water  frequently  over- 
flowed, was  excavated  and  found  to  contain  chambers,  or  vaults, 
one  above  the  other.     These  vaults  were  larger,  and  of  different 
shapes,  being  36  feet  in  diameter,  and  circular  in  shape.     They 
were  built  by  posts  placed   upright,  1 1   inches   apart,  the   upper 
vault  having  two  circular  rows  of  posts,  but  the  lower  only  one. 
On  the  floor  of  each  vault  were  several  skeletons.     There  were 
also  logs  or  timbers  in  the  lower  vault,  giving  the  idea  that  this 
one  was  also  built  in  the   same  way.     Dr.  Thomas  says  there 
were  some  indications  that  the  burial  was  comparatively  recent, 
as  a  bone  showing  the  cuts   of  a  steel   knife  was  found  in  the 
vault.     The  fact  that  the  mound  was  on  the  low  ground  over- 
flowed by  the  river  also  shows  that  it  was  recent,  as  all  the  old 
mounds  were  on  the  terraces   above   the  flood  plain,  and  were 
evidently  built  when  the  water  covered  the  flood  plain,  while  this 
one  was  built  after  the  flood  plain  had  been  drained.     The  large 
vaults  with  the  modern  relic,  Dr.  Thomas  thinks,  were  used  as 
council  houses  and  that  they  resemble  those  used  by  the  Cher- 
okees  after  the  time  of  history.     The  discovery  of  a  similar  vault 
by  Mr.  Lucien  Carr  is  referred  to  in  evidence.     This  vault,  so 
called,  was  on  the  top  of  a  truncated  oval  mound  in  Lee  County, 
West  Virginia.     It  was  evidently  a  rotunda,  such  as  the  Chero- 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  127 

kees  used  as  their  places  of  assembly,  as  there  was  a  row  of 
posts  arranged  in  a  circle,  showing  this.  The  argument  which 
Dr.  Thomas  dwells  upon  is  that  the  proximity  to  the  circle  and 
square  called  the  Baum  Works  proves  it  to  have  been  built  by 
the  same  people.  This,  however,  is  the  very  point  we  make  on 
the  other  side.  It  proves  the  succession  of  races,  and  shows 
that  the  Cherokees  were  among  the  last  in  the  region,  but  were 
not  the  village  sun-worshipers,  as  is  suggested.  The  vaulted 
mounds  have  not  been  found  in  the  circles  or  squares,  nor  in 
connection  with  the  covered  ways  or  double  circles,  nor  do  they 
contain  any  such  finely  carved  relics  as  belonged  to  the  earlier 
class  of  sun-worshipers.  These  are  very  rude  and  the  mounds 
are  differently  situated. 

IV.  The  mode  of  burial  practiced  by  the  Mound-builders  is  next 
to  be  considered.  Dr.  Thomas,  in  his  work,  has  shown  one 
mode  of  burial  which  was  quite  remarkable.  It  seems  to  have 
consisted  in  the  digging  of  a  circular  pit,  and  then  placing  bodies 
in  the  pit  and  building  stone  cones  or  chambers  over  the  bodies. 
This  pit  with  stone  vaults  and  skeletons  was  explored  by  the 
agent  of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology.  It  is  a  true  circle,  38  feet 
in  diameter,  not  more  than  a  foot  and  a  half  in  height.  The 
bee-hive  shaped  vaults  were  built  of  water-worn  boulders.  The 
skeleton  was  placed  upon  its  feet  and  a  wall  built  up  around  it. 
On  the  top  of  the  head  of  one  skeleton,  under  the  capstone,  were 
several  plates  of  silvery  mica.  Many  of  the  stones  of  the  little 
vaults  bore  unmistakable  evidences  of  fire.  The  only  relic  found 
was  a  pipe,  found  near  the  mouth  of  one  This  pit  was  covered 
with  a  very  low  mound.  Near  the  mound  was  a  triangle,  which 
proved  to  be  a  communal  grave.  It  was  a  burial  pit.  The  two 
long  sides  of  the  triangle  were  48  feet  each,  and  the  other  side 
32  feet.  The  depth  varied  from  two  and  a  half  to  three  feet. 
Here  was  a  bee-hive  shaped  vault  of  cobble  stones.  In  the  pit 
a  skeleton,  and  a  large  engraved  gorget  were  with  it;  a  number 
of  large-sized  shell  beads;  at  the  sides  of  the  head,  near  the 
ears,  five  copper  beads  or  small  cylinders;  under  the  breast,  a 
piece  of  copper;  about  each  wrist  a  bracelet,  composed  of  alter- 
nate beads  of  copper  and  shell;  at  his  right  hand  were  four  iron 
specimens,  one  of  them  in  the  form  of  a  thin  celt;  another 
apparently  a  part  of  the  blade  of  a  long  slender  knife  or  dag- 
ger ;  another  a  part  of  a  round  awl-shaped  instrument.  Scattered 
over  and  between  the  skeletons  of  this  group  were  numerous 
polished  celts,  discoidal  stones,  copper  arrow-points,  plates  of 
mica,  lumps  of  paint.  About  200  yards  east  of  the  triangle  was 
another  low  mound,  covering  a  circular  pit  similar  to  the  one 
described,  in  which  were  twenty-six  skeletons.  In  a  different 
part  of  the  same  county  another  similar  pit,  containing  a  kind 
of  communal  grave,  in  which  were  the  following  articles:  One 
stone  axe,  43  polished  celts,  9  pottery  vessels,  the  handle  of  one 


128  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

representing  an  owl's  head  and  another  an  eagle's  head,  32  arrow- 
heads, 20  soapstone  pipes,  12  discoidal  stones,  10  rubbing  stones, 
6  engraved  shells,  4  shell  gorgets,  i  sea  shell,  5  large  copper 
beads,  a  few  rude  shell  pins.  Among  the  shell  gorgets  was  one 
containing  four  birds'  heads  with  the  looped  square  figure,  a 
symbol  of  the  sun,  and  a  figure  of  the  cross  enclosed  in  a  circle. 
The  soapstone  pipes  were  of  peculiar  shape.  One  of  them  had 
a  bowl  in  the  shape  of  a  tube,  but  with  a  flat  stem  or  mouth- 
piece. A  number  of  pipes  similar  to  this  have  been  found  in  a 
mound  in  Sullivan  County,  East  Tennessee.  Others  have  been 
found  in  West  Virginia.  A  very  modern-looking  pipe  is  also 
presented  by  Dr.  Thomas,  though  he  does  not  state  exactly 
where  it  was  found.  This  group  of  mounds  or  burial  pits  was 
situated  on  the  borders  of  the  white  settlement,  a  locality  where 
we  would  expect  to  find  the  traces  of  contact  with  the  whites. 
The  Cherokees  long  resided  on  the  mountains  of  East  Tennes- 
see. They  took  the  patterns  for  their  pipes  from  the  whites,  but 
they  retained  many  other  relics.  The  symbolism  they  held  in 
common  with  other  tribes  was  perpetuated  intact. 

One  fact  is  to  be  noticed.  In  one  of  the  mounds  in  North 
Carolina,  the  one  which  contained  the  circular  pit,  some  eight 
or  ten  skeletons  with  heads  which  had  been  elongated  by  arti- 
ficial pressure  were  discovered.  The  Catawbas  are  said  to^  have 
practiced  this  head  flattening,  as  did  many  of  the  Muskogee 
stock.  The  explorations  on  the  Little  Tennessee  River  among 
the  overhill  towns,  yielded  a  number  of  relics  which  resembled 
those  found  in  North  Carolina.  The  mounds  here  contained  a 
peculiar  style  of  clay  beds,  saucer-shaped,  varying  in  diameter 
from  six  to  fifteen  feet,  built  in  layers,  one  above  another,  three 
to  five  beds,  with  a  layer  of  coal  and  ashes  between  them.  In 
one  mound  were  found  a  number  of  skeletons,  and  by  the  side 
of  nearly  every  skeleton  were  shell  masks,  shell  pins,  shell 
beads, perforated  shells,  engraved  shells,  discoidal  stones,  polished 
celts,  arrow-heads,  spear-heads,  stone  gorgets,  bone  implements, 
clay  vessels  and  copper  hawk  bells.  The  hawk  bells  were  with 
the  skeleton  of  a  child,  at  a  depth  of  three  feet  and  a  half.  They 
were  in  the  form  of  sleigh  bells,  but  with  pebbles  and  shell 
beads  for  rattles.  In  another  mound  on  the  Little  Tennessee, 
two  miles  trom  Morgantown,  were  found  nine  skeletons,  and 
with  one  were  two  copper  bracelets,  copper  beads,  a  small  drilled 
stone,  an  engraved  stone  which  had  some  ot  the  characters  of 
the  Cherokee  alphabet  on  it.  The  argument  which  Dr.  Thomas 
makes  in  connection  with  these  finds  is  that  the  mound-builders 
were  Indians,  and  the  particular  tribe  who  built  these  mounds 
were  Cherokees.  The  argument  is,  however,  misleading.  It 
may  be  forcible  as  proving  the  migration  and  the  modern  char- 
acter of  the  Cherokees,  but  it  begs  the  question  as  to  the  other 
tribes  of  mound-builders.     The  tribes  which  were  formerly  lo- 


PYRAMID 

OF 

iKOLEE  :M0KEE 

XARLY  CO.,  OA. 

Surveyed  hy  Jamtt  X.  JIv/m»«. 
County  Survtytr. 

Scale:  aOcbs.  u>  the  iuclu 


3_j 


EARTHWORKS   ON   THE    KENAWHA   RIVER. 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  129 

cated  along  the  Atlantic  coast  and  on  the  Alleghany  mountains 
have  never  been  recognized  as  belonging  to  the  Mound-builders. 
Many  of  these  works  are  to  be  connected  with  the  historic 
Indians,  such  as  the  Powhattans  of  the  Algonkin  stock  and  the 
Tuscaroras  of  the  Iroquois  stock.  The  value  of  the  finds  con- 
sists in  the  fact  that  the  record  of  the  Cherokees  is  carried  back 
into  prehistoric  times  and  the  record  of  mound-building  brought 
up  to  modern  times;  but  to  make  the  Cherokees  the  mound- 
builders  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  is  absurd.  The  Cherokees 
may  have  passed  over  a  portion  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory, 
precisely  as  the  Dakotas  are  supposed  to  have  done  at  an  early 
time  and  as  we  know  other  tribes — such  as  the  Shawnees,  Dela- 
wares,  Iroquois  and  Wyandottes — did  after  the  time  of  the 
discovery;  but  the  probability  is  that  their  route  was  over  the 
eastern  part  and  not  the  western. 

That  there  was  a  succession  of  races  is  seen  from  the  study 
of  the  burial  mounds.  Fig.  ii  illustrates  this.  In  this  mound 
we  find  at  the  bottom  a  circular  vault  three  feet  deep  and  6  feet 
in  diameter,  filled  with  chocolate  dust.  No.  i.  Next  to  this  was 
a  layer,  marked  2,  containing  the  bones  of  fifteen  or  twenty 
persons.  Above  them  a  layer  of  burned  clay.  Above  this,  in 
No.  4,  was  a  mass  of  calcined  bones,  mingled  with  ashes  and  a 
reddish  brown  mortar  burned  as  hard  as  brick. 

The  bee-hive  vault  has  been  dwelt  upon  as  proof,  but  the  bee- 
hive vault  resembles  the  bee-hive  huts,  which  are  common  in 
Scotland,  as  much  as  it  does  any  structure  found  in  Southern 
Ohio.  Shall  we  say  that  these  bee-hive  vaults  prove  the  Chero- 
kees to  have  come  from  Scotland  ?  The  Cherokees  are  said  to 
have  been  very  white,  and  might  almost  be  called  white  Indians. 
Shall  we  trace  the  Cherokees  back  to  a  white  race,  which,  accord- 
ing to  some,  was  allied  to  the  Aryan?  Their  language  is  said 
to  be  related  to  the  Dakotas.  The  earliest  known  migrations 
of  the  Dakotas  were  from  the  east.  Shall  we,  then,  trace  both 
the  Dakotas  and  Cherokees  back  to  the  island  of  Great  Britain, 
making  the  route  of  their  migration  to  be  by  way  of  Iceland  and 
the  coast  of  Labrador,  and  take  the  coincidence  between  the  bee- 
hive huts  and  bee-hive  vaults  and  make  out  a  case  in  that  way? 

The  effigy  mounds  of  Southern  Ohio,  especially  the  great 
serpent,  the  bird  mounds  of  Northern  Georgia,  the  effigies  of 
Wisconsin  and  the  stone  effigies  of  Dakota  are  assigned  by 
some  to  the  different  branches  of  the  Dakotas — the  Tuteloes 
having  once  been  located  in  Northern  Georgia,  not  far  from 
where  the  bird  effigy  is;  other  tribes — such  as  the  lowas  and 
Mandans — having,  according  to  tradition,  carried  these  symbols 
to  Dakota ;  the  Winnebagos,  another  branch,  had  their  last 
abode  in  Wisconsin,  where  the  effigies  are  so  numerous. 

Our  argument  is  for  the  migration  of  the  Dakotas  as  preceding 
that  of  the  Cherokees.     According  to  Thomas  there  are,  in  the 


130 


THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


mounds  of  the  Kenawha  Valley,  several  different  kinds  of  burials, 
some  of  them  resembling  those  found  among  the  Cherokees; 
but  the  trouble  is  that  these  have  all  been  mingled  together 
as  if  they  all  belonged  to  one  tribe,  whereas  they  prove  that 
several  tribes  passed  through  this  region.  Let  us  enumerate  the 
different  forms  of  burial  mounds  which  Dr.  Thomas  has  assigned 
to  this  tribe,  i.  We  find  the  bee-hive  tombs  in  North  Caro- 
lina. These  were  found  in  a  circular  pit.  2.  'The  triangle  con- 
taining graves  and  modern  relics.  3.  The  mounds  with  burials 
between  bark  coverings  in  East  Tennessee.  4.  The  square 
chambered  tombs  in  the  Grave  Creek  mound,  in  the  Kenawha 
mound,  and  those  on  the  Scioto.  5.  The  round  chambers, 
lined  with  upright  posts,  contained  within  the  pyramid  mound 
on  the  flood  plain  in  the  valley  of  the  Scioto.  6.  The  altar 
found   at   the  bottom  of  one    of  the  mounds  in  the  Kenawha 


■•-^au, 


Fig.  11.— Stratified  Mound  in  Wisconsin. 

Valley  (see  Fig.  9),  resembling  those  found  in  Ohio.     7.     Altars 
made  from  cubical  piles  of  stones,  found  in  Eastern  Iowa,  re- 
sembling those  found  in  Tennessee.     8.     The  altar  beds  in  Cal- 
houn County,  lUmois,  resembling  others  in  Tennessee.     9.     The 
square  piles  of  stones  in  Franklin  County,  Indiana,  resembling 
those  found  in  Tennessee.     Besides  these  there  were  the  stone 
graves  found  in  the  Kenawha  Valley,  those  in  Illinois,  and  those 
found  in  the  bottom  of  the  pyramid  mound  at  Etowah,  Georgia, 
the  stratified  mounds  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  Davenport, 
the  chambered  tomb  found  in  Wisconsin,  the  stone  vaults  found 
on  the  Mississippi  and  the  Missouri  Rivers. 

The  important  point  we  make  is  this :  The  burials  referred 
to  above  are  so  varied  that  it  is  absurd  to  ascribe  them  to  any 
one  Indian 'tribe,  either  Cherokee,  Shawnee  or  Dakota.*  True 
the  analysis  and  comparison  might  enable  us  to  assign  those 
northwest  to  one  general  class;  those  on  the  Missouri  River  to 
another;  those  on  the  Upper  Mississippi  to  a  third;  those  on  the 
Middle  Mississippi  to  a  fourth;  those  on  the  Southern  Missis- 
sippi to  a  fifth ;  those  on  the  Cumberland  to  a  sixth ;  those  on 


•The  reader  wHl  find  a  description  of  the  diflferent  burials  in  the  chapter  on  burial 
mounds.    See  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  XI,  No.  6. 


MIGRATIONS  OF  THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  131 

the  Upper  Ohio  to  a  seventh;  and  those  on  the  Wateree  River 
and  in  East  Tennessee  to  the  eighth  class.  This  is,  however, 
only  repeating  what  has  been  said  before  the  Mound-builders 
were  divided  into  several  distinct  classes,  and  differed  according 
to  location, — each  tribe  having  its  own  peculiar  earth-works  and 
burial  mounds  and  relics.  So  far  as  the  classes  and  districts  are 
concerned,  there  is  no  great  difficulty  in  tracing  the  tribes  which 
occupied  these  subsequent  to  the  time  of  history,  back  to  the 
Mound-building  period  and  in  identifying  them  in  some  of  the 
burials  which  have  been  preserved ;  but  to  say  that  these  his- 
toric tribes  were  the  builders  of  all  the  mounds  in  the  district  is 
going  contrary  to  the  facts,  for  there  is  too  much  variety  in  the 
mounds  of  each  district  to  admit  of  this. 

We  are  ready  to  acknowledge  the  resemblance  between  these 
circles  in  the  Kenawha  Valley  and  those  on  the  Wateree  River 
in  South  Carolina,  and  especially  the  similar  significance  of  the 
circle  with  the  mound  in  its  center,  which  seems  always  to  be  a 
sign  of  sun-worship.  Squier  and  Davis  have  called  attention 
to  the  general  similarity  between  the  southern  mounds  and  the 
Ohio  mounds,  especially  to  the  fact  that  there  were  spiral  paths 
around  the  outside  of  them.  They  speak  of  the  council  or 
oblong  mound  in  the  circle  on  the  Wateree  River,  with  a  cir- 
cumference of  550  feet  at  the  base  and  225  feet  at  the  top,  and 
30  feet  high.  They  say,  however,  that  while  this  region  was 
occupied  by  the  Cherokees  at  one  time  and  by  the  Ocmulgees 
at  another,  still  that  the  country  was,  many  ages  preceding  the 
Cherokees,  inhabited  by  one  nation,  who  were  ruled  by  the  same 
system  of  laws,  customs  and  language,  but  so  ancient  that  the 
Cherokees  or  the  Creeks  could  give  no  account  of  them  or  the 
purposes  for  which  they  erected  the  monuments.  High  pyram- 
idal mounds,  with  spacious  avenues  leading  to  artificiallakes.and 
cubical  yards,  with  sunken  areas  and  rotundas,  are  the  charac- 
teristic works  of  the  south — works  which  the  Cherokees  adopted 
and  used,  but  which,  it  is  said,  they  did  not  build.  The  contrast 
between  the  two  classes  is  marked,  as  the  water  cultus  is  plain 
in  one  and  sun-worship  in  the  other,  and  yet  the  connecting  link 
may  be  found  in  the  circles  we  are  describing. 

This  thing  we  can  rely  upon,  however:  The  mounds,  earth- 
worths  and  relics  are  so  arranged  in  districts,  and  so  correlated 
to  those  districts,  that  we  may  safely  give  names  to  the  people 
of  the  district;  but  they  must  be  names  which  are  taken  from 
the  ancient  works,  rather  than  from  the  modern  tribes.  This  is 
the  case  even  when  we  think  that  we  have  traced  the  migration 
of  the  ancient  races,  for,  after  all  that  we  may  do,  it  is  still  an 
open  question  whether  the  ancient  races  and  the  modern  works 
can  be  fully  identified. 

Modern  races  followed  the  ancient  in  all  the  districts;  but  the 
ancient  relics  were  transmitted,  and  modern  relics  intruded  in 


132  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

such  strange,  unaccountable  ways  and  out-of-the-way  places,  as 
to  make  us  pause  before  we  give  a  certainty  to  our  speculations 
in  regard  to  this  subject.  The  monitor  pipes,  the  duck  pipes, 
the  shell  gorgets,  the  inscribed  shells,  the  copper  relics,  the  gold 
ornaments,  and  various  other  relics,  may  be  scattered  through 
the  mounds  of  each  separate  district,  and  at  the  same  time  be 
found  in  the  hands  of  the  later  Indians  occupying  these  districts  ; 
but  the  traditions,  the  relics  and  the  earth-works  in  these  same 
districts,  often  compel  us  to  go  back  of  these  people  and  to  assign 
a  long  succession  of  tribes  to  the  district,  so  that  we  may  say  it 
is  actually  easier  for  us  to  trace  the  migrations  of  the  Mound- 
builders  from  one  district  to  another  than  it  is  to  trace  the  history 
of  the  district,  back  through  its  different  periods  of  occupation. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  evidence.  The  migrations  of  the 
pyramid-builders,  like  that  of  the  stone  grave  people,  may  have 
been  across  the  Ohio  Valley  at  the  west  end.  The  migra- 
tion of  the  circle-builders,  sun-worshipers,  may  have  been  north 
or  south,  across  the  Ohio  Valley  at  the  east  end;  but,  on  the 
contrary,  the  serpent-worshipers,  whose  works  are  found  on  the 
Ohio  River  and  on  the  Mississippi  River,  must  have  migrated 
through  the  whole  middle  district,  the  Ohio  River  being  the 
thoroughfare.  It  does  not  seem  reasonable  that  they  were  the 
same  people  who  built  the  bee-hive  vaults  or  even  the  chambered 
tombs,  for  not  one  such  one  structure  is  found  in  all  their  west- 
ern track, 

Our  conclusion  is  that  there  were  various  migrations  of  mound 
builders  through  and  across  the  Ohio  Valley,  some  of  them 
having  been  sun-worshipers,  some  of  them  serpent-worshipers 
and  some  pyramid-builders.  If  any  of  these  are  to  be  identified 
with  the  Cherokees,  others  with  as  much  reason  may  also  be 
identified  with  the  Dakotas,  the  testimony  of  tradition  and  of 
language,  as  well  as  of  archaeolgy,  corresponding  on  this  point; 
but  this  by  no  means  precludes  us  from  beiieving  that  there  were 
other  races  or  tribes  of  Mound-builders  which  preceded  these, 
the  history  and  names  of  which  have  not  yet  been  discovered, 
and  so  they  can  not  be  identified  with  any  modern  tribe. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS'  CULTUS.       133 


CHAPTER  IX. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  :\IOUND-BUILDERS' 

CULTUS. 

One  of  the  most  noticeable  things  in  connection  with  prehis- 
toric times  is  that  village  life  was  so  prevalent.  This  seems  tu 
have  been  common  in  all  ages  and  among  all  xaces,  but  it  was 
especially  prominent  among  the  Mound-builders.  It  was  in  fact 
the  element  into  which  they  threw  their  own  peculiarities  and 
which  embodied  their  cultus.  The  Mound-builders'  villages 
were  not  all  alike,  for  every  district  had  a  style  of  village  pecular 
to  itself,  and  yet  they  differed  from  those  of  other  races,  and  are 
therefore  worthy  of  our  study.  This  is  the  factor  which  may 
enable  us  to  draw  the  line  between  the  different  periods  of  occu- 
pation, and  help  us  solve  the  Mound-builder  problem. 
-The  picture  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory  which  we  have 
presented  is  one  in  which  different  classes  or  tribes  occupied 
different  districts,  filling  each  district  with  their  own  peculiar 
cultus.  The  picture  is  a  varied  one,  for  the  tribes  or  classes 
followed  different  employments,  used  different  implements  and 
showed  different  grades  of  advancement.  The  conditions  of  society 
were  correlated  to  physical  surroundings.  There  seems  to  have 
been,  also,  changes  among  the  people  at  various  times ;  migra- 
tions from  one  district  into  another,  the  abandonment  of  earth- 
works of  one  class,  and  the  erecting  of  a  similar  class  of 
earth-works  in  another  region,  the  routes  of  migration  being 
marked  by  the  tribes,  either  in  entering  their  territory  or  in 
departing  from  it. 

The  location  of  the  modern  tribes  of  Indians,  with  their  pecu- 
liar habits  and  customs,  has  also  come  into  the  picture  and  been 
a  prominent  feature  in  the  scene.  The  panorama  has  been  a 
moving  one;  in  fact,  the  changes  have  been  so  numerous  that  it 
has  been  difficult  to  distinguish  the  earlier  from  the  later  tribes, 
and  much  confusion  has  been  the  result.  It  is  probably  on  this 
account  that  many  have  confounded  the  Mound-builders  with  the 
Indians  and  classed  both  together,  not  realizing  that  the  Mound- 
builders'  cultus  was  so  distinct. 

I.  The  character  of  the  villages  is  the  test  by  which  we  deter- 
mine the  cultus  which  prevailed  in  a  certain  period  of  time  and 


134  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

in  particular  localities,  and  is  the  especial  means  by  which  we 
ascertain  the  Mound-builders' cultus.  We  speak  ot  the  Mound- 
builders'  cultus  because  it  was  distinctive,  in  fact,  as  distinctive  as 
the  cliff-dwellers  or  the  lake-dwellers,  or  the  Aztec  or  Maya  cul- 
tus, and  because  it  furnishes  us  a  definite  name  for  a  specific  period 
of  time  and  helps  us  to  separate  that  time  from  that  which  pre- 
eceded,  and  that  which  followed;  but  the  cultus  was  embodied 
in  the  village  life  as  much  as  in  any  other  element,  and  we  shall, 
therefore,  point  to  this  as  the  factor  which  will  enable  us  to  dis- 
tinguish the  cultus.  Village  life  may,  indeed,  have  prevailed 
among  the  Indian  tribes,  as  it  prevailed  among  all  of  the  unciv- 
ilized races,  both  in  this  continent  and  in  every  other  one.  Mr. 
Stanley  informs  us  that  villages  were  very  common  in  Central 
Africa,  that  all  the  trails  led  through  villages  ;  travelers  have 
spoken  of  the  villages  of  South  America  and  have  pictured  the 
roadways  which  led  from  one  city  or  ancient  village  to  another. 

The  early  and  later  explorers  maintain 
that  there  were  roadways  in  Central 
America,  Yucutan  and  in  Honduras, 
which  led  from  the  ancient  cities  to 
the  sea  coast,  and  from  the  sea  coast 
to  islands.  We  do  not  maintain  that 
village  life  was  peculiar  to  the  Mound- 
builders — as  it  was  everywhere  preva- 
lent, and  was  as  common  among  the 
later  as  the  earlier  races — but  its  f^- 
„.    ,    ,,.„        .,,  ^r  .    c     ,    tures  were  distinctive. 

Fig.  1.— Village  with  Water  Supply.        ^,        .     ,  ,  .    ,       ,.   ^.  •   i     ^i 

The  features  which  distinguish  the 
villages  of  the  Mound-builders  are  as  follows:  i.  The  presence 
of  earth-works,  which  in  one  way  or  another  form  an  enclosure, 
either  as  walls,  as  pyramids,  as  circles,  burial  mounds  or  effigies. 
They  may  have  been  used  as  burial  places,  as  lookouts,  as  altars, 
game  drives,  places  of  assembly,  but  all  of  them  were  connected 
with  the  villages.  2.  The  abundance  of  relics  in  the  mounds,  de- 
posited as  offerings,  or  personal  belongings,  gives  evidence  of  a 
numerous  population,  which  had  its  center  in  the  village.  3.  The 
earliest  villages  were  those  of  the  Mound-builders,  and  can  be 
distinguished  from  the  villages  of  the  later  Indian  races  by  their 
age.  The  burial  mounds  show  a  succession  of  races,  but  the 
burials  which  are  the  earliest,  or  lowest  down,  may  be  taken  as 
those  of  the  Mound-builders*.  4.  The  villages  of  the  Mound- 
builders  were  generally  located  upon  the  high  land  and  were 
attended  with  lookout  mounds,  trails  or  roadways,  and  other 
signs  which  indicate  that  they  were  connected  with  one  another, 
showing  that  the  occupants  were  the  permanent  possessors  of 


*See  Chap.  I,  p.  30;  Chap.  IV,  p.  53-58:  Chap.  V,  Burial  Mounds,  p.  65-74;  Chap. 
VIII,  p.  123. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND- BUILDERS'  CULTUS.       135 

the  entire  region.*  5.  The  evidence  of  an  organized  condition  of 
society  is  given  by  the  villages  of  Mound-builders;  the  villages 
were  occupied  by  clans,  the  clans  were  arranged  in  tribes,  tribes 
were  gathered  into  confederacies. 

The  grade  of  advancement  in  the  earth-works  and  relics  dis- 
tinguished the  Mound-builders'  villages  from  those  which  either 
preceded  or  followed,and  furnishes  a  good  test  as  to  the  Moun  l- 
builders'  cult. 

I.  Let  us  take  up  first  the  study  of  the  earth-works.  Many 
of  these  were  located  on  ground  where  modern  cities  have  grown 
up,  but  there  was  a  time  when  they  were  the  most  marked 
objects  in  the  landscape,  and  the  record  of  them  is  more  com- 
plete than  that  of  the  temporary  Indian  villages  which  have 
been  gathered  in  the  same  spot.  The  center  of  population  was 
in  the  village  throughout  all  ages,  but  in  the  Mound-builders' 
age  the  villages  were  more  extensive  than  at  any  other  time  and 
were  perhaps  as  imposing  in  ap- 
pearance as  many  of  the  villages 
built  by  the  white  man,  and  were 
especially  in  contrast  with  those  of 
the  Indians. 

Indian  villages  were  often  erect- 
ed in  the  midst  of  Mound-builders' 
enclosures;  Indian  graves  intruded 
into  the  tumuli  of  Mound-builders, 

and  Indian  relics  are  found  mingled  '    '     '  j 

with  Mound-builders'  relics.  But  if^.^  ,_^,.„^^^,^,.^^^„^^^^.„^^^„„„^_^ 
an  extensive  earthwork,  with  heavy 

wall  and  great  gateways  can  be  distinguished  from  an  ordinary 
camping  place ;  if  the  deposits  of  beautifully  carved  relics,  such 
as  pipes,  highly  wrought  copper  specimens,  and  pearl  beads  can 
be  distinguished  from  the  rude  camp  kettles,  the  occasional  brass 
and  silver  brooch,  the  fragments  of  cloth  and  the  debris  of  the 
camp,  the  permanent  abode  or  house  can  be  distinguished  from 
a  rude  wigwam,  the  Mound-builders'  cultus  can  be  separated 
from  the  Indian,  even  when  the  villages  were  in  the  same  locality. 

Any  one  who  reads  the  descriptions  of  Indian  wars,  especially 


«See  Chap.  II,  p.  17-18;  Chap.  VI,  p.  89,  American  Geologist,  article  by  S.  D.  Peet, 
on  The  Flood  Plain,  p.  264. 

t  The  cuts  given  in  Figs.  1  and  2  are  taken  Irom  Atwater's  book,  which  was  the 
flrst  one  published  upon  the  Mound-builders.  They  represent  the  two  villages  form- 
erly situated  on  Paint  Creek,  five  miles  apart,  with  a  fort  between  them,  located  at 
Bouroeville.  The  same  villages  can  be  seen  in  the  map.  These  villages  were  some- 
what remarkable.  The  one  at  A  had  an  encloscre  which  contamed  /  /  acres,  m  the 
center  of  which  was  an  elliptical  mound,  240x100  feet,  and  :W  feet  high,  surrounded 
by  a  low  embankment  and  covered  with  a  pavement  ot  pebbles.  There  was  a  cres- 
cent near  this  mound,  set  around  the  edges  with  stone,  and  a  number  of  we  Is  were 
inside  and  outside  the  enclosure.  The  circle  contains  1,  acres;  within  it  was  a 
smaller  circle,  which  probably  marked  the  site  of  the  estula.  Here  we  have  pro- 
visions for  religious  ceremonies  as  well  as  residence  and  delense.  The  other  village 
(B)  contained  no  elliptical  mounds,  but  there  was  within  it  a  Pond  lo  feet  deep  and 
39  feet  across,  which  is  fed  by  a  rivulet  flowing  from  the  high  land  through  the  walls 
and  furnished  tlie  village  with  water  supply. 


136 


PREHISTARIC  MONUMENTS. 


those  conducted  by  Gen.  5t.  Clair,  Anthony  Wayne,  Gen.  George 
Washington,  Gen.  Braddock,  can  realize  that  the  villages  which 
were  so  easily  destroyed  by  the  invading  whites,  and  which  were 
frequently  transported  by  command  of  the  Indian  chiefs,  were 
but  temporary  camps,  and  in  great  contrast  to  the  Mound-build- 
ers' villages.  The  battlefields  have  been  located,  but  not  one  of 
them  is  marked  by  any  earthworks,  such  as  the  ancient  races 
were  accustomed  to  erect.     The  villages  which  were  attacked 

were  clusters  of  tempor- 
ary wigwams,  some  of 
them  without  even  the 
protection  of  a  palisade. 
They  were  so  easily  de- 
stroyed that  a  single  fire 
would  sweep  them  frcm 
off  the  face  of  the  earth, 
and,  in  a  few  years,  not 
a  trace  of  them  was  left. 
Even  in  the  localities 
where,  according  to  the 
early  maps,  Indian  vil- 
lages once  stood,  the 
explorer  will  seek  in 
vain  for  any  vestige  by 
which  he  can  identify 
the  site.  If  he  takes  the 
names  of  distinguished 
chiefs,  such  as  King  Phil- 
lip, Pontiac,  Tecumseh 
and  Black  Hawk,  and 
seeks  for  their  homes  he 
will  find  no  sign  of  them. 
The    villages    of    Black 

Fn,.  :^.-iiloclcaae  Village  near  GranvUle,  Ohio*       ^di^k  and  Kcokuk  WCrC 

situated  on  the  DesMoines  River,  near  Eldon,  but  not  a  sign 
of  them  remains;  even  the  graves  of  these  Indian  warriors  have 
been  despoiled  and  their  bones  destroyed. 

There  was  formerly  an  Indian  village  on  the  Ohio,  opposite 
the  mouth  o^  the  Scioto.  It  was,  however,  located  on  the  banks, 
below  the  terrace  on  which  were  the  villages  of  the  ancient 
Mound-builders.  The  contrast  between  the  two  villages — the 
ancient    and  the  modern — can    be    seen   here.       Here  we    see 


ui.hik    «ii*fiviut. 

LICKUfCi       COUNTY    Onto 


•  The  stockades  represented  in  Figs,  'i  and  4  are  such  as  are  very  common  in  Ohio 
and  Kentucky  and  many  of  the  western  States.  They  are  not  known  to  have  been 
built  by  any  Indian  tribe,  but  may  have  marked  the  intervening  period  between 
the  Mound-builders'  age  and  that  of  the  modern  Indian.  They  show  the  difference 
between  the  cult  of  the  early  Mound-builders  and  that  of  the  later  race.  One  of 
these  was  situated  near  Granville,  and  in  sight  of  the  alligator  or  opossum  mound, 
about  five  miles  from  the  works  at  Newark.  It  has  an  area  of  18  acres.  The  ditch  is 
outside  of  the  wall.  Inside  the  wall  is  a  small  circle,  100  feet  in  diameter.  In  the 
circle  are  two  mounds,  both  of  which  contain  altars. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS'  CULTUS.       137      « 


heavy  walls  en  the  high  terrace,  fifty  feet  above  the  bank  where 
the  modern  village  was  located,  the  oval  enclosure  isolated  on  a 
spur,  and  the  covered  ways  extending  for  eight  miles  or  more, 
with  the  bastions,  gateways,  circles,  and  burial  mounds  all  con- 
nected by  a  ferry  with  the  walls,  circles,  mounds,  on  the  summit 
of  the  hill  opposite,  and  these  again  by  another  ferry  with  the 
walls,  concentric  circles  and  temple  mounds,  several  miles  away, 
the  length  of  the  walls  being  twenty-two  miles.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  Indian  village  is  so  insignificant  that  a  single  flood  over- 
flowed its  site  and  swept  away  all  vestige  of  the  encampment, 
taking  the  houses  of  the  few  white  settlers,  which  had  been  built 
upon  the  same  spot,  so  that  now  nothing  is  left  to  reveal  either  of 
the  later  periods  of  occupation*  All  signs  of  the  Indian  village 
and  early  settlement  of  the  white  man  have  disappeared,  but  the 
works  of  the  Mound-builders  remain,  notwithstanding  the  growth 
of  a  modern  city  on  the  spot, 

2.  It  has  been  maintained  by  some  that  the  stockade  was  pecu- 
liar to    the    northern  

Indian,  the  earthwork 
to  the  southern'Indian 
and  that  this  consti- 
tuted the  only  differ- 
ence between  the  vil- 
lages, but  the  fact  is 
the  stockade  was  as 
common  at  the  south 
as  at  the  north,  and 
in  both  sections  there 
are  earthworks  which 
were  built  by  an  ear- 
lier race.  Beauchamp 
has  shown  this  to  be 
the  case  in  the  state  of 
New  York,  He  main 
tains  that  there  was  a 

period  of  time  when  villages  were  surrounded  by  earth-works, 
but  at  a  subsequent  period  the  timbered  palisade  took  their 
place.t  The  stockades  of  the  Iroquois  tribes  were  more  endur- 
ing than  the  temporary  villages  of  the  Algonkins,  but  these  have 
so  far  disappeared  that  it  is  difficult  to  locate  their  villages.  On 
the  other  hand,  the  villages  of  the  Mound-builders,  who  preceded 
the  Iroquois,  are  identified  by  earth-works  which  still  remam. 
Sir  William  Dawson  has  also  shown  that  the  villages  of  the 
earlier  races  were  attended  with  a  class  of  relics  which  nidicated 
a  cultus  peculiar  to  the  age  and  the  people.^ 

The  antiquity  of  the  first  race  can  be  j  udged  from  the  fact  that  a 


. 

f:.  .(t* 

--      .,.,,-- 

f 

■  '  j^ 

ZA.rm-. 

s 

':23FM 

f^         U.Adlli 

^ 

'-■vial 

".--^^    -iT,_ 

r 

■^ 

[1  J""    — -.         " 

d^ 

i 

W^r'" 

Pig,  U— Stockade  Village  in  Ohio. 


*  See  map,  p.  253.        1  See  Amer.  Antiquarian.       iSee  Fossil  Man. 


138 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


nest  of  copper  relics,  consisting  of  socketed  spears  and  spades 
of  the  Wisconsin  stamp,  was  found  while  digging  the  St.  Law- 
rence canal,  on  the  banks  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  some  fifteen 
feet  below  the  surface.  The  antiquity  of  the  Mound-builders' 
village  in  the  State  of  Ohio  can  also  be  seen  from  the  earth- 
works. The  village  near  Dayton,  Ohio,  covered  several  miles 
of  a  level  plain,  but  so  long  ago  that  the  sweep  of  the  waters  of 
the  Great  Miami  River  in  the  time  of  flood  has  taken  away  a 
larger  portion  of  the  walls  and  yet  that  which  remains  extends 
beyond  the  modern  village  of  Alexandersville,  and  takes  in  two 
stations  on  the  railroad.* 

3.  Village  life  impressed  itself  upon  the  soil  everywhere.  Even 
in  the  region  where  the  hunter  life  was  prevalent,  this  is  every- 
where apparent.  Here 
the  villages  were  sur- 
rounded either  by  cir- 
cles of  burial  mounds 
or  by  animal  effigies, 
or  rude  earth-works,t 
but  there  are  also 
lookout  mounds,  and 
game  drives,  garden 
beds,  and  occasionally 
altar  mounds,  which 
indicate  that  certain 
clans  occuoied  the  lo- 

1. 

calit}'.  Game  drives 
but  are  found  in  Illinois 
Mound-builders  of  this 


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"" --""m'S' r  *  - '    "     Tf    -    ""■■    -■-■-•-  ''--~'-'-'-^""'-^":-"^ 

i^r^  -- 

Sectt09. 

V    - 

.'  'X'^fc!.  -  -J  --J-. "  -||^S^E^^^'*mBBP^^ 

_,/  -  : 

^i^ 

'_•-" 

\ 

\ 

%CM*.  '■         t_~  -   "  -         1    /*"**.      -               -"^V*^ 

\ 

4oofi.  u  tlu  luck. 

/  M'Briit 

fSli 

<.. 

^ff.  5  —Stockade  Village  in  Ohio. 


are  not  confined  to  the  state  of  Wisconsin 
and  other  states,  showing  that  while  the 
region  were  hunters,  they  dwelt  in  villages. 

It  remained,  however,  for  the  agricultural  races  to  build  the 
most  elaborate  earth-works,  as  a  defense  to  their  villages.  These 
were  placed  uniformly  upon  terraces  overlooking  the  rivers,  and 
abounded  with  covered  ways,  graded  ways,  lookout  mounds, 
dance  circles,  burial  places,  all  of  which  were  guarded  by  earth- 
walls.| 

Walled  villages  were  numerous  in  the  middle  district,  on  both 
sides  of  the  Ohio  River,  but  they  did  not  all  belong  to  the  same 
class.  In  fact,  four  or  five  types  of  Mound-builders'  villages  have 
been  discovered  in  this  region,  all  of  which  may  have  been  pre- 
historic. These  were  followed  by  the  rude  villages  of  the  modern 
Indian  races.  The  effort  has  been  made  to  identify  these  modern 
Indians§  as  the  descendants  of  the  earlier  Mound-builders,  but 


*See  Antiquities  of  Tenn.,  by  Gen.  G.  P.  Thurston,  p.  40.  Jones'  Aboriginal  Re- 
mains, p.  115.        8ee  map  of  works  at  Alexandersville. 

tSee  William  Dawson's  Description  of  Hochelaga,  p.  ^0;  Hubbard's  Memorial 
Sketches  of  a  Half  Century,  p  232;  Peet's  Kmblematic  Mounds,  p.  20S ;  Smithsonian 
Report,  Description  ot  Earth  Walls  on  the  Spoon  River  and  Fox  River,  Illinois. 

I  See  Bartram's  Travels. 

gSee  Antiquities  of  Southern  Indians,  by  C.  C.  Jones. 


YILLA.GE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS'  CULTUS.      139 


the  ver\'  contrast  between  the  two  classes  of  villages,  the  earlier 
and  later,  refutes  this.  The  Mound-builders  may  have  changed 
their  location,  and  the  occupants  of  the  villages  of  one  district  have 
established  their  villages  in  another  dist'-ict,  but  if  this  was  the 
case,  those  who  migrated  must  have  adopted  another  style  of 
village  architecture  and  manufactured  a  different  class  of  relics, 
having  dropped  those  to  which  the)-  had  been  accustomed,  for 
there  are  no  two  districts  in  which  the  same  works  or  relics  can 
be  discovered.  Relics,  to  be  sure,  are  found  in  Iowa  and  Illinois 
which  resemble  those  in  Ohio,  but  there  are  no  such  earth-works. 
A  few  works  are  found  in  West  Virginia  and  Kentucky  which 


BKCiK  cRiK,  nxrvcnr, 


ICALC 

~.        M>ltaiu\zA 


Fig.  6.— Sacred  Enclonn-e  in  Kentucky* 

resemble  the  Ohio  villages,  but  the  relics  are  quite  different.  It 
appears  that  there  was  a  period  in  which  every  district  exhibited 
a  Mound-builder's  cultus,  another  period  in  which  it  disappeared 
or  was  lost. 

4.  The  loss  of  this  cultus  is  one  of  the  plainest  facts  in  archaeology . 
We  pass  over  the  districts  and  study  the  works  and  relics  which 
we  ascribe  to  the  earlier  Mound-builders,  but  we  find  the  people 
gone,  and  we  fail  to  recognize  or  identify  their  cultus  in  any  one  of 
the  modern  tribes  of  Indians.  In  fact,  the  change  of  cultus  has 
been  so  great  in  every  district  that  we  fail  to  reach  any  certainty 
in  reference  to  the  time  of  occupation  or  the  people  who  built 
the  villages.  When  we  interrogate  the  Indians  of  any  tribe, 
Iroquois.  Algonkin,  Dakota,  Cherokee,  Shawnee,  we  find  their 
memory  uncertain  and  their  traditions  indefinite.f 

*The  works  at  Mt.  sterling  consist  of  an  enclosure  100  feet  square,  an  elliptical 
mound,  9  feet  high,  truncated  and  connected  by  a  wall  with  a  small  conical  mound, 
a  circle  with  a  ditch  and  square  platform,  and  a  hexagonal  enclosure  with  a  gateway 
to  the  east.  These  works  exhibit  an  identity  with  those  In  Ohio  and  were  probably 
symbolic  or  religious  in  their  character.  The  proximity  to  the  streams  suggests  a 
water  cult.    See  Fig.  6.  ^^  .  .      ^  e 

+  See  Irving's  Florida ;  for  Study  of  Skulls  see  report  of  Davenport  Academy  of 
Science,  Lucian  M.  Carr's  Antiquities  of  Tenn.,  p.  117;  Agricultural  Races,  Jones 
Southern  Indians,  Eleventh  report  Peabody  Museum,  p.  384. 


140 


PREHISTORIC  MONCJMEXrS. 


The  Shawnees  have  indeed  been  traced  from  one  locality  to 
another,  for  they  were  great  wanderers,  but  the  relics  which  have 
been  found  in  the  stone  graves  which  are  said  to  mark  their 
route,  are  as  different  in  different  localities  as  if  they  were  man- 
ufactured by  entirely  distinct  races.  The  abandonment  of  their 
homes  by  these  wandering  tribes  must  have  occurred  long  years 
ago,  for  otherwise  we  could  not  account  for  the  change  which 


has  come  upon  them  in  their  cultus 


SUNLAF8  WOHKg 

icos^cowTr  oaio. 


and  art  motives, 
the    Cherokees, 


So  with 
and    the 


^"'--^fe-'w^v'  ■  V"'-'    ■■••■  -^'-X 


4m  ft  t«  th«Ini3l.'. 


Mound-builders'  Village  and  Covered  Way. 


Muscogees  and  other  tribes. 
Adair  and  Bartram  tell  us 
the  Cherokees  had  a  tradi- 
tion that  the  pyramids  at 
the  south  were  built  by  a 
preceding  race;  that  they 
only  occupied  them  as  new 
comers  after  vanquishing 
the  nations  who  inhabited 
them,  and  that  the  former 
possessors  told  the  same 
story  concerningthem;  that 
they  found  the  mounds 
when  they  took  possession 
of  the  country.  Mr.  Jones 
says  that  "the  works  were 
subject  to  secondary  uses. 
Temple  mounds,  originally 
designed  for  religious  ob- 
jects, were  by  the  Creeks 
and  Cherokees  converted 
into  stockade  forts  and  used 
as  residences  for  their  chiefs 
or  for  purposes  of  sepul 
ture."       The    tradition    is 


that  the  incursion  of  wild  tribes  from  the  North  drove  off  the 
Mound-builders  from  the  middle  districts,  some  of  which  intruded 
themselves  upon  the  southern  districts,  and  at  a  still  earlier  date 
these  southern  tribes  supplanted  a  race  of  pyramid-builders. 
These  traditions  are  confirmed  by  the  study  of  the  relics  and 
works,  all  of  which  indicate  that  many  changes  took  place  in 
pre-Columbian  times,  the  transposition  of  new  populations  hav- 
ing brought  in  a  new  cultus,  with  intervals  of  varying  length, 
but  the  village  life  having  continued  through  all  the  changes. 


*  The  enclosure  called  Dunlap's  Works  is  situated  on  the  third  terrace  above  the 
Scioto.  Tliere  is  a  covered  way  1240  feet  long,  with  a  lookout  mound  at  tiie  end 
which  commands  a  view  of  the  river  valley,  and  a  terraced  mound  or  mound  and 
circle  not  far  from  the  covered  way.  On  the  fourth  terrace  is  an  outwork  which  may 
have  served  as  a  ra^e-course  or  a  plare  ol  games.  There  was  a  gatewaj'  and  a  graded 
path  connecting  it  with  the  enclosure.  Tne  small  circle  is  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
but  there  is  no  large  circle  connected  with  the  works. 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS'  CULTUS.       141 


5,  We  do  not  then  misinterpret  the  evidence  given  by  the  earth- 
works, when  we  say  that  the  confederacies  of  the  Mound-builders, 
whether  situated  along  the  upper,  middle  or  lower  Mississippi, 
the  Cumberland,  St.  Francis,  or  Ohio  River,  or  in  Florida  or  the 
Gulf  States,  must  have  long  preceded  that  of  the  Indians,*  and 
that  the  history  of  these  villages  was  quite  different  from  that  of 
the  modern  tribes.  We  go  back  to  the  time  of  the  first  dis- 
covery and  examine  the  picture  of  the  villages  presented  by  the 
historians  of  Ferdinand  De  Soto's  expedition,  and  find  that  they 
were  thoroughly  equipped  with  the  machinery  of  government 
and  religion,  and  are  to  be,  by  this  means,  distinguished  from 
the  villages  of  the  Atlantic  coast  and  the   New  England  States, 


AHESISSilT  'WSiaK.. 

FR*tlKll>*-CO.  TeNNESSEt ,   . 


PftEBLE  COUN     OMiD 


Stockade  Fort  in  Tennessee. 


Stockade  Fort  in  Ohio.-f 


where  the  stockade  villages  were  prevalent,  but  the  changes 
which  came  upon  the  Mound-building  tribes,  both  North  and 
South,  broke  up  the  early  confederacies  and  in  a  measure  obliter- 
ated fhe  Mound-builders'  cultus,  so  that  we  can,  with  no  degree 
of  propriety,  use  the  term  Indian  when  we  would  describe  this 
earlier  condition,  even  if  we  were  convinced  that  the  Mound- 
builders  and  the  Indian  were  of  the  same  stock. 

On  this  point  there  is  great  uncertainty,  for  the  best  authori- 
ties maintain  that  there  were  from  two  to  four  races  in  the 
Mound  builders'  territory.       The  pyramids   at  the  South  were 


♦Antiquities  of  Southern  Indians,  p.  126,  by  C  C.  Jones. 

t  Tiie  stone  fort  in  Tennessee  nnd  the  earth  fort  in  Ohio  (see  cuts  above)  illustrate 
the  cultus  of  two  periods.  The  stone  fort  was  upon  an  eminence.  It  contained  t\v 
pyramids.  Oae  of  these  was  occupied  by  two  lookouts,  twenty  feet  high.  This  fort 
is  on  the  bank  of  Duck  Creek,  just  above  a  waterfall,  and  is  full  of  the  evidence  of  a 
skillful  work  and  of  an  advanced  people.  The  earth-work  marks  the  site  of  an  or- 
dinary stockade  village,  located  on  the  bluff,  with  the  unfailing  spring  below. 


142  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

occupied  by  a  people  who  resembled  the  Polynesians,  but  the 
stockades  of  the  North  by  a  people  who  were  more  like  the 
Mongolians.  Relics  of  the  Mound-builders  resemble  those  found 
in  Great  Britain  and  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  even  suggest  the 
transmission  of  the  same  myths  and  symbols  from  the  eastern  to 
the  western  continent.  Let  us  look  at  the  facts.  In  Goodyear's 
book  on  the  Grammar  of  the  Lotus,*  is  a  picture  of  the  divinity  of 
the  Gauls.  In  this  picture  the  divinity  is  crowned  with  the  horns 
of  the  deer,  exactly  as  the  Mound-builders'  chief,  found  in  the 
depths  of  the  mounds  on  the  Hopewell  farm  in  Southern  Ohio, 
was  crowned.f 

Mr.  J.  R.  Nissley  has  described  a  pipe  which  combined  the 
"cupstone"  symbols,  which  are  so  common  in  Great  Britain,  with 
the  serpent  symbol.  This  pipe  was  in  the  form  of  a  serpent,  one 
cup  mark  in  the  head  and  another  in  the  tail,  the  orifice  between 
making  the  mouth-piece  ;  but  on  the  base  of  the  pipe  were  several 
cup  marks,  making  the  pipe  doubly  symbolic.^ 

The  discovery  of  the  Exeter  vase  of  Nebraska,  with  its  shal- 
low receptacle  and  its  four  sides  carved  with  animal  heads,  and 
the  discovery  of  the  Toronto  pipe,  with  its  distorted  face,  pre- 
senting the  symbol  of  the  tree  and  serpent  on  its  side,  will  lead 
us  to  the  thought  that  there  must  have  been  a  pre-Columbian 
contact  with  other  countries.  The  progress  of  pre-historic 
archaeology  is  bringing  out  more  and  more  the  fact  that  there 
were  great  differences  between  the  races. § 

The  skulls  of  the  southern  Indians  certainly  differ  from  those 
of  the  northern  Indians,  even  if  the  language  was  the  same.  It 
is  easy  for  a  people  to  change  language,  but  constitutional  traits 
continue  through  many  generations.  The  Cherokees,  Iroquois, 
Dakotas,  may  have  belonged  to  the  same  stock,  separated  from 
one  another  in  the  Ohio  valley  at  some  remote  time,  but  they 
differed  from  the  Muscogees  and  southern  tribes,  and  as  to  the 
Shawnees,  it  is  acknowledged  they  belong  to  a  different  stock 
from  either.  These  tacts  should  lead  us  to  the  habit  of  recog- 
nizing differences.  If  we  are  to  take  the  traditions  of  the  Indians 
into  the  account,  we  shall  conclude  that  the  southern  Mound- 
builders  came  from  the  West,  the  northern  Mound-builders  from 
the  East  or  Northeast. 

If  we  are  to  obliterate  all  distinctions  and  to  class  the  Mound- 
builders'  cult  with  the  modern  Indian,  making  out  that  the  his- 
toric tribes  properly  represent  the  pre-historic  conditions,  we 
may  as  well  give  up  our  study  of  pre-historic  archaeology,  and 
for  that  matter  the  study  of  the  science  of  sociology  also,  and 
say  that  there  was  no  difference  between  a  savage  warrior  and  a 
settled  agriculturist,  or  between  the  animal  worshiper  and  the 


*  See  Grammar  of  the  Lotus. 

+  «ee  Ancient  Monuments. 

X  See  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  XIV,  No.  4. 

iJSee  Thomas's  History  of  Cherokees, 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS'  CULTUS.       143 

sun  worshiper,  between  the  stockade-builder  and  the  pyramid- 
builder.  The  term  Indian  has  been  applied  to  all  classes  and  all 
grades  and  all  districts,  embracing  the  Eskimo  fisherman,  the 
Indian  hunter,  the  southern  agriculturist,  Zuni,  Pueblos,  the 
civilized  Aztec,  the  Maya,  but  it  is  not  the  general  name  that  we 
need  so  much  as  the  specific  term,  and  so  we  prefer  to  classify 
the  works  of  the  Mississippi  valley  under  the  name  which  has 
already  gone  into  use  and  to  acknowledge  that  there  was  a 
Mound-builder's  cultus. 

The  theory  that  there  was  an  American  race  which  had  only 
one  language  and  one  origin,  and  that  this  race  occupied  the 
entire  continent  and  filled  it  with  one  type  of  mankind,  has 
this  evil  tendency,  it  prevents  us  from  drawing  a  distinction 
between  the  different  languages,  customs,  symbols,  and  forestalls 
any  inquiry  as  to  previous  migration  or  pre-historic  contact 
with  other  races,  but  this  theory  is  even  worse,  for  it  shuts  our 
eyes  to  the  distinction  between  the  earlier  and  later  conditions 
and  puts  everything  on  one  dead  level.  We  need  a  closer  analysis 
and  minute  distinctions  rather  than  these  grand  generalizations.* 

If  there  was  a  historic,  a  proto-historic  and  a  pre-historic  period 
on  this  continent,  we  want  to  know  the  differences  in  the  cults 
rather  than  the  resemblances.  These  differences  are  shown  by 
the  specimens  of  art  and  architecture  that  still  remain,  and  we 
need  to  study  these  so  as  to  assign  them  to  the  different  periods 
and  races.  When  we  study  the  pre-historic  works,  we  recognize 
the  differences  between  them  and  ascribe  these  not  only  to  the 
different  modes  of  life  and  religious  systems  which  were  adopted 
by  the  races,  but  we  also  assign  the  different  cults  to  the  period 
and  age  to  which  they  belong? 

It  was  this  mistake  which  that  eminent  author.  Mr.  L.  H. 
Morgan, t  made  while  treating  of  American  Sociology  and  which 
many  of  his  disciples  are  making  to  this  day.  He  took  the 
cultus  of  the  Iroquois,  with  which  he  was  familiar,  and  made  it  a 
pattern  for  all  the  native  tribes  and  races,  reducing  everything, 
civilized  and  uncivilized,  to  the  same  simple  elements.  The  long 
house  of  the  Iroquois  served  as  a  pattern  to  him  for  the  houses 
of  the  Mound-builders,  and  seemed  to  prove  that  the  same  com- 
munistic state  everywhere  prevailed.  He  went  so  far  as  to 
reconstruct  a  Mound-builders'  village  after  the  same  pattern,  and 
placed  the  long  houses  on  the  summit  of  the  walls,  instead  of 
inside  the  enclosure.]:  He  imagined  that  the  Pueblos,  of  Arizona, 
served  as  a  pattern  for  the  cities  of  Mexico  and  Central  America 
and  called  all  the  places  of  that  region  communistic  houses. 

He  maintained   that  the  civilized  races,  were  all  of  them,  not 
only  organized  into  clans,  but  were   in  the  communistic  state; 

*See  Brinton's  American  Race. 

t  See  Morgan's  Ancient  Society.  ^     ,   • 

iSee  North  American  Review;  see  Morgan's  Houses  and  House  Life;  see  Lontri- 
toutions  to  Ethnol.  Bureau,  Vol.  III. 


144  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

that  their  cities  were  nothing  but  Pueblos  and  their  kings  noth- 
ing but  chiefs;  that  everything  about  them  must  be  reduced  to 
a  piimitive  state  and  run  in  the  same  mold  which  the  Iroquois 
furnished. 

II.  We  are  to  notice  the  variety  in  the  architecture  of  the  tillages, 
especially  when  we  are  studying  the  village  life  of  the  Mound- 
builders  and  seek  to  recognize  the  differences  between  them  and 
the  other  tribes  or  races.  While  we  acknowledge  that  village 
life  was  universal  in  America,  yet  it  differed  according  to  locality, 
each  race  or  tribe  having  impressed  upon  their  villages  their 
own  ethnic  states  and  customs.  The  tribes,  to  be  sure,  were 
composed  of  clans,  and  the  clans  were  generally  gathered  into 
villages,  each  clan  having  a  village  by  itself 

The  clans  or  tribes  might  be  organized  into  a  confederacy, 
the  land  belong  to  the  confederacy,  but  it  was  divided  and  held 
by  the  clans  and  could  not  be  alienated  except  by  consent  ot  the 
clans  when  assembled  together.  There  was  no  such  thing  as 
property  in  severalty  or  landed  property.  Sometimes  there  was 
the  removal  of  a  nation  by  reason  of  defeats  and  oppressions,  but 
the  conquered  tribes,  when  they  felt  that  their  territory  had  been 
invaded  and  could  not  be  held  against  their  enemies,  generally 
moved  as  a  body.  Their  tribal  organization  was  stronger  than 
their  attachment  to  their  lands.  The  graves  of  their  fathers  were 
precious  to  them,  but  they  would  rather  leave  these  than  to  have 
their  tribe  broken  up.  The  element  of  religion  came  in.  Ances- 
tral worship  prevailed  among  many  of  the  tribes  and  thus  threw 
an  air  of  sacredness  over  the  abodes  of  their  ancestors  and  made 
their  villages  permanent.  The  graves  were  near  the  villages 
and  the  precious  remams  were  under  the  care  of  the  villagers  as 
such.  It  was  like  tearing  up  everything  that  was  precious  to 
them  when  they  were  forced  to  move.  It  was  for  this  reason 
that  the  village  clans  remained  so  long  in  their  territory  and 
defended  themselves  by  such  novel  methods.  It  was  for  this 
reason  also  that  the  same  clans,  when  they  changed  from 
one  district  to  another,  became  so  thoroughly  disorganized. 
Having  been  driven  from  their  original  territory,  in  which  their 
clan  life  had  found  such  embodiment,  they  seemed  to  have 
adopted  the  customs  and  habits  of  the  people  into  whose  terri- 
tory they  migrated,  making  the  old  village  sites  their  abodes, 
changing  the  old  works  into  new  uses.  This  question,  as  to 
what  became  of  the  Mound-builders  of  any  one  district,  is  per- 
haps to  be  answered  in  the  same  way.  The  Mound-builders 
were  evidently  as  tenacious  of  their  homes  as  the  Cliff-dwellers, 
but  there  were  tribes  and  confederacies  which  had  long  occupied 
certain  regions  and  had  reached  a  high  stage  of  advancement 
and  in  the  course  of  time  had  constructed  a  most  elaborate  sys- 
tem of  works.  These  were  driven  off  by  the  invading  hosts  of 
savage  hunters  and  never  again  reconstructed  their  villages  or 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS'  CULTUS.       Ho 

their  homes.  The  change  which  must  have  come  upon  the 
country  is  exhibited  as  much  by  the  different  style  of  architecture 
which  they  adopted  as  by  anything  else. 

The  Indian  villages  on  the  Atlantic  coast  and  in  the  state  of 
New  York  seem  to  have  been  more  permanent  than  those  on  the 
western  prairies.  They  were  frequently  surrounded  by  stockades 
and  were  connected  with  one  another  by  trails.  The  Indian  villages 
of  Virginia  have  been  described  by  early  discoverers.  The 
village  of  Pomeiock  was  pictured  by  the  painter  Wyeth.  From 
this  we  learn  the  arrangement  of  the  village.  We  see  the  fields 
of  corn,  fields  of  tobacco,  garden  full  of  melons,  forests  full  of 
deer,  a  pond  in  the  back-ground;  a  broad  roadway  passes 
through  the  village;  on  one  side  are  the  houses  of  the  chief,  the 
houses  for  the  preservation  of  the  dead,  and  houses  for  the  fami- 
lies ;  on  the  other  side  the  dance  circle,  the  feast  tables,  and  the 
mourning  places.  The  houses  in  the  village  are  rectangular, 
with  curved  roofs,  and  resemble  the  houses  of  the  Iroquois. 

The  picture  of  the  village  of  the  southern  Indians  represent 
the  houses  as  circular,  the  roofs  dome-shaped,  with  the  stockade 
surrounding  them.  There  is,  however,  no  earth-work  in  either 
of  these  pictures.  The  villages  were  just  such  as  were  occupied 
by  the  later  tribes  when  they  were  in  a  settled  condition.  These 
Indians,  to  be  sure,  might  have  possibly  built  earth-works  at  one 
time  and  abandoned  the  habit,  but  if  so  it  must  have  been  before 
the  discovery.  The  natural  supposition  is  that  they  were  a 
different  class  of  people,  who  came  in  after  the  Mound-builders. 
We  divide  the  Mound-builders'  villages  into  several  classes, 
which  differ  according  to  their  location,  both  in  their  method  of 
defense,  their  general  arrangement,  style  of  architecture,  class  of 
relics  which  they  contain,  and  the  mode  of  life  which  they 
exhibit.  Those  of  the  effigy  mounds  being  in  one  class,  the 
"burial  mounds"  in  another,  and  military  works  in  another, 
sacred  enclosures  in  another.  The  most  remarkable  of  these 
are  in  Ohio,  for  they  show  that  village  life  had  reached  a  high 
stage.  The  villages  of  Arkansas  are  also  to  be  mentioned. 
These  were  filled  with  lodge  circles,  and  in  these  were  large 
pyramidal  or  dormiciliary  mounds  and  occasionally  a  lookout 
monnd.  These  resembled  the  Ohio  villages,  in  that  they  were 
square  enclosures,  but  they  had  no  such  elaborate  gateways,  and 
no  such  watch-towers  within  the  gateways,  and  no  concentric 
circles  or  combination  of  circles  and  squares,  and  no  adjoining 
enclosures  which  contained  altars  or  burial  mounds;  they  were 
plain  village  enclosures,  in  which  all  the  purposes  of  village  life 
were  carried  out  and  only  a  single  wall  surrounding  the  whole, 
the  defense  being  given  by  this  wall  and  a  stockade  placed  upon 
the  summit.  They  resembled  the  villages  of  the  stone  grave 
people  of  Tennessee,  in  that  they  contained  many  graves  within 
the  enclosure,  as  well  as   lodge  circles  and  pyramids.     These 


146  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

may  be  called  the  villages  of  the  pottery- makers,  for  large  quan- 
tities of  pottery  have  been  found  in  the  enclosures.  Entire 
mounds  of  large  size  have  been  opened  and  found  full  of  nothing 
but  pottery.  The  villages  of  the  Gulf  States  were  peculiar. 
These,  for  the  most  part,  were  destitute  of  any  circumvallation. 
In  its  place,  however,  is  to  be  found  a  large  moat,  which  served 
all  the  purposes  of  a  moat  around  a  feudal  castle,  the  defense 
of  the  village  having  been  formed  by  a  palisade  of  timbers,  with 
gateways  and,  perhaps,  draw-bridges. 

The  chief  peculiarity  of  these  villages  is  that  there  are  so 
many  pyramids  grouped  around  a  central  area,  with  the  abrupt 
sides  turned  toward  the  moat  o*  fish-ponds,  but  the  sides  on 
which  approaches  and  graded  ways  and  terraces  are  to  be  seen 
are  directed  toward  the  central  area.  The  villages  of  the  eastern 
district  of  the  Gulf  States  are  also  marked  with  pyramids,  but 
they  are  generally  pyramids  placed  in  pairs — one  of  them  being 
rectangular,  with  terraced  sides  and  graded  ways  for  approaches; 
the  other  oval  or  conical,  with  its  summit  truncated,  and  a  spiral 
pathway  leading  to  the  summit.  In  these  villages  was  a  chunky 
yard,  also  a  distinctive/eature;  the  rotunda,  having  been  elevated 
on  the  summit  of  the  cone,  was  placed  at  one  end  of  the  yard, 
the  pyramid,  with  the  chief's  house  on  its  summit,  was  located 
at  the  other  end  of  the  yard.  The  area  within  the  yard  was 
used  as  the  public  square  or  campus,  the  dance  ground  or 
the  place  for  the  trying  of  captives.  Descriptions  have  been 
written  by  various  travelers,  such  as  Adair  and  Bartram,  who 
visited  these  villages  when  they  were  occupied  by  the  Cherokees, 
so  we  that  know  exactly  the  use  to  which  each  part  of  the  village 
was  applied.  Descriptions  given  by  the  Portuguese  traveler,  the 
historian  of  De  Soto's  expedition,  reveal  to  us  also  the  use  which 
was  made  of  the  pyramids  in  the  western  district  by  such  tribes 
as  dwelt  there  at  the  time. 

The  Tennessee  villages  were  furnished  with  more  conveni- 
ences and  show  better  provisions  for  defense,  for  subsistence 
and  for  the  carrying  out  of  all  the  purposes  and  customs  con- 
nected with  village  life,  but  they  were,  after  all,  arranged  after 
the  same  general  plan  and  show  the  same  clan  organization.  The 
bouses  were  generally  arranged  around  a  public  square,  within 
which  the  people  assembled,  making  it  a  common  campus.  The 
temples,  council  houses,  dance  grounds  and  burial  grounds  they 
placed  separatelyby  themselves,  making  them  somewhat  exclusive 
and  more  sacred  than  their  private  houses.  There  were  in  all 
the  villages  provisions  for  the  different  classes — governmental 
and  common — and  conveniences  for  religious  ceremonies,  popu- 
lar assembles,  festivals  and  amusements,  and  for  burials. 

In  the  ancient  villages  of  Ohio,  there  seems  to  have  been 
a  separate  enclosure  for  each  of  the  classes  and  for  each  especial 
purpose.     The  clan  elders  had  their  houses  inside  of  the  square 


VILLAGE  LIFE  AND  THE  MOUND  BUILDERS'  CULTUS.       147 

enclosure  and  the  people  had  their  lodges  inside  of  the  large 
circle;  but  tne  religious  houses  or  round  houses  were  located  in 
a  small  circle  adjoining  the  two,  the  burial  places  and  dance 
grounds  being  placed  in  enclosures  by  themselves.  Some  of 
these  .villages  in  Ohio  present  evidence  that  there  was  a  sacrificial 


•  UTLtn'     COUNTY       0  fflO 

(unlet  S.V.  »rtu 

Town    OF   HAMILTON, 

Surrfjeei  by  Jar  M^ SfteU /fiS 


TIateatat  Goi*0ny. 


4«»  ft  u  thY  hell . 


Fig.  10.— A  Mound-builders'  Fort.* 

place  in  the  midst  of  the  large  enclosure,  and  human  sacrifices 
were  offered  to  the  sun. 

This  thought  that  the  Mound-builders  had  reached  a  stage 
where  the  different  classes  were  recognized  and  where  conven- 
iences were  provided  for  them  is  worthy  of  notice,  for  in  this 
consists  one  great  difference  between  the  ages.     It  matters  not 


*Tbe  works  represented  by  this  cut  and  the  one  on  page  138  are  situated  in  Butler 
County,  Ohio  The  difference  between  the  walled  villages  and  the  forts  will  be  seen 
from  the  cuts. 


148  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

what  stock  or  race  was  represented  by  the  villages,  yet  the  fact 
that  there  are  earth-works  which  were  occupied  by  the  different 
classes  shows  that  the  cultus  was  entirely  different  from  that  of 
savagery.  Savages  may  indeed  have  had  chiefs  and  clan  elders 
and  priests  or  medicine  men,  but  their  villages  were  rarely  built 
to  accommodate  these  different  classes.*  The  fact  that  there 
were  different  kinds  of  villages  in  the  same  territory  is  then  im- 
portant in  this  connection.  It  appears  also  that  at  one  period 
there  were  tribal  capitals  or  central  villages,  and  perhaps  places 
of  tribal  assembly  for  the  observance  of  religious  ceremonies,  as 
well  as  clan  villages.f 

The  proximity  of  villages  to  one  another  and  their  location 
along  the  valleys  of  the  streams  show  that  the  tribal  system  pre- 
vailed, and  that  the  tribes  took  the  rivers  for  their  habitats,  the 
villages  being  the  abodes  of  the  clans.  The  discovery  of  the 
central  villages  and  works  peculiar  to  themselves  proves  also  that 
there  were  confederacies  which  combined  the  tribes.  These  filled 
the  districts  with  the  works  devoted  to  defense,  government  and 
religion,  as  well  as  domestic  life,  and  so  gave  great  variety  to 
the  earth-works. 

The  defense  of  the  village  varied  according  to  the  locality.  In 
some  places  it  was  secured  by  placing  a  heavy  earth  wall  around 
the  entire  village;  in  others  by  placing  the  villages  in  the  midst 
of  isolated  tongues  of  land,  making  the  position  a  source  of 
safety ;  in  others  the  pyramids  were  erected,  their  abrupt  sides 
forming  a  barrier  against  approach,  while  the  terraced  sides  and 
graded  way  furnished  easy  access  to  the  people  who  might  de- 
sire to  resort  to  their  summits  in  time  of  danger.  The  groups 
of  pyramids  were  sometimes  surrounded  by  moats,  which  served 
as  fish-ponds  in  times  of  peace  but  barriers  in  times  of  war,  re- 
sembling in  this  respect  the  feudal  castles.  There  were  a  few 
villages  that  were  destitute  of  circumvallation,  though  these 
were  perhaps  at  one  time  surrounded  by  timber  palisades  or  by 
stone  and  earth  walls,  which  have  disappeared.  The  size  of  the 
enclosures  varied  according  to  the  population  they  were  designed 
to  accommodate.  They  varied  from  twenty-five  to  two  hundred 
acres.  In  some  casesj  there  were  several  adjoining  enclosures,  so 
that  the  village  would  be  divided  into  two  or  three  parts,  the 
entire  circumvallation  extending  several  miles,  including  one  or 
two  hundred  acres,  and  in  other  cases§  there  was  a  single  enclo- 
sure, everything  being  included  in  that. 

Burial  mounds  are  generally  connected  with  villages.  These 
vary  also  according  to  the  district.  Those  in  the  prairie  re- 
gion form  one  class,  those  in  Ohio  another  class,  and  those 
in  the  Gulf  States  still  another  class,  recent  explorations  show- 

*Mr.  Thru.ston  thinks  there  was  a  division  of  labor,  and  refers  to  the  trowels  dis- 
covered among  the  stone  graves  as  proof  that  the  plasterers'  trade  was  followed. 

tAztlan,  Marietta  and  Portsmouth  were  capitals;  NeM'ark,  OirclevlUe  and  many 
other  places  were  clan  villages.       Jin  Ohio.       gin  Indiana. 


-  '-•  «■*   a 


BOSS    COUNTY.  OHIO 

(Four  Dules  north  of  ChiUicofiie  J 


"  FimM,Ar«kU  Latti. 


i.,^  ^aSc  ■■::  *»  Q  <j  'J  ,3 


-?^...»'?,.  r»  i}    »  '.xi  *  * 

.„l.t=  ,  ...    ■  •  ■» 


PLATE  III -VILLAGE  ENCLOSURES  AND  COVERED  "WAY. 

The  wnrks  at  Hoppton,  High  Banks  and  Cedar  Banks  represent  the  character  nl 
the  ancient  Mound-builders'  village.s|and  the  contrast  withlthe  villages  ol  the  huer 
Indians.  Those  at  Hopeion  are  on  the  third  terrace,  just  below  a*i  elevated  plain; 
the  rectangle  measures  950  by  900,  the  circle  1,050  feet,  twelve  gateways,  measure  2-d 
feet  in  width.  The  two  circles  measure  200  and  2.50  feet ;  one  covers  a  gateway,  ttie 
other  cuts  into  the  square.  The  walks  of  the  rectangle  were  12  feet  high  and  50  feet 
nase.  Two  parallel  walls  extend  toward  the  river,  2,400  feet  in  length,  150  feet  apart. 
They  terminated  at  the  foot  of  the  terrace,  where  the  river  once  ran  through,  and 
a  fertile  bottom  now  intervenes.  This  covered  way  may  have  connected  the  village 
ot  Hopeton  w  th  Mmind  (Mtv,  which  is  .just  opposte,  and  suggests  the  religious  cer- 
emony of  crossing  tlie  river  with  their  dead,  similar  to  that  of  the  Egyptians. 


BDSS     CO.    OHIO. 


PLATE  IV.-VIIiliAGE  ENCLOSURES  AND  DANCE  CIKCLE8. 

The  Cedar  Bank  work  is  a  square  enclosure,  and  is  but  half  a  mile  from  Hoppton 
Between  the  two  were  the  large  truncated  mound  aad  circle,  giving  the  idea  that 
these  were  the  sites  of  teraple«  where  i  he  villagers  worshipped.  The  works  at  His?li 
Bank  illustrate  the  same  point.  They  consist  of  one  octagon  950  feet  in  diameter, 
a  circle  1,050  feet,  and  two  small  circles  250  leet:  the  walls  were  formerly  12  feet  hii<h 
and  50  feet  at  ba-H.  A  large  iruticaled  mound  30  feet  high  was  formerly  on  the 
terrace,  one-<|uarter  of  a  mile  awav.  A  covered  way  connects  the  village  with  ihe 
circle  on  the  bank  of  the  river.  Tbe  age  of  W\\<^  vi  lage  is  here  shown.  The  river 
formerly  flowed  near  the  bank  and  cut  away  the  terrace  and  a  part  of  the  circle, 
leaving  the  hank  80  leet  hiirh.  but  now  Hows  at  a  distance.  An  Indian  town  was 
situated  a  short  dis'auce  below  this  point  and  an  Indian  burial  place  on  the  brow  of 
the  hill,  the  two  contrasting  strangely  with  the  ancient  worljs  of  the  Mound-builders. 


VILLAGES  AND  VILLAGE  LILE.  149 

ing  that  many  of  the  large  mounds,  both  pyramids  and  pyrami- 
dal and  conical,  were  used  for  burial  purposes.  Altars  have 
been  found  in  some  of  them. 

III.  We  now  turn  to  a  comparison  of  the  village  enclosures. 
This  comparison  might  lead  us  to  consider  the  villages  of  all 
the  modern  Indians.  We  shall,  however,  confine  ourselves 
mainly  to  the  enclosures  of  Ohio,  for  these  seem  to  be  the  most 
complete  specimens  of  village  enclosures  to  be  found  anywhere 
among  the  uncivilized  races.  We  find  in  them  the  elements 
which  go  to  make  up  village  architecture  everywhere.  The  fol- 
lowing are  the  elements  given  by  the  Ohio  earth-works:  i,  the 
circumvallation  ;  2.  the  lodge  circle,  including  the  estufas;  3,  the 
temple  platform  ;  4,  the  observatory  or  watch  tower;  5,  the  cov- 
ered ways,  including  the  protected  landing,  or  graded  way ;  6,  the 
sacrificial  place  or  sacred  burial  enclosure;  7,  the  fortifications ; 
8,  the  lookout  mounds. 

We  now  take  up  the  description  of  the  villages. 

I.  It  should  be  noticed,  that  the  villages  of  the  different  dis- 
tricts all  had  circumvallations  which  were  very  marked.  The 
villages  of  the  emblematic  mound-builders  had  effigies  near 
them,  those  of  the  tomb  builders  had  circles  of  burial  mounds 
about  them,  those  of  the  pyramid-builders  had  pyramids  around 
them,  and  those  of  the  lodge-builders  had  walls  on  the  outside 
and  lodge  circles  inside,  to  charactize  them.  In  like  manner  the 
defenses  of  the  serpent  worshipers  had  the  serpent  effigy  to  char- 
acterize them,  and  the  villages  of  the  sun  worshipers  had  the 
circle,  crescent,  horse-shoe,  and  other  symbols  to  characterize 
them,  each  district  containing  a  different  religious  system  and  a 
different  class  of  works  which  embodied  it. 

There  is  this  difference,  between  the  villages  of  Ohio  and 
those  found  elsewhere.  The  villages  here  were  always  char- 
acterized by  a  double  or  a  triple  enclosure,  one  of  them  being 
a  square  and  the  other  a  circle  or  a  cluster  of  circles.  That  a^ 
Newark  contains  five  enclosures  and  three  sets  of  parallel  walls, 
with  an  effigy  in  one  of  the  enclosures  and  many  small  circles 
scattered  around  among  the  covered  ways. 

The  most  remarkable  of  all  the  village  sites  are  perhaps  those 
at  Hopeton,  Newark,  Circleville,  Highbank,  and  ^Twinsburg. 
That  at  Hopeton  is  the  most  beautiful,  where  there  is  a  square 
and  circle,  and  two  or  three  smaller  circles  joining  the  squares 
on  the  outside.  There  are  lound  on  the  third  bottom.  They 
consist  ot  a  rectangle  with  an  attached  circle.  The  rectangle 
measures  950  by  900  feet.  The  circle  is  1050  feet  in  diameter. 
The  gateways  are  twelve  in  number,  and  have  an  average  width 
of  about  25  feet.  On  the  east  side  are  two  circles,  measuring 
200  and  250  feet,  the  gateways  or  opening  to  the  circles  cor- 
responding to  the  gateways  in  the  square.  The  walls  of  the 
larger  work  are  12  feet  high,  50  f^et  wide  at  the  base.     ^'They 


150  PRII^IITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 

resemble  the  heavy  grading  of  a  railway,  and  are  broad  enough 
on  the  top  to  admit  the  passage  of  a  coach."  It  is  probable 
that  on  the  summit  of  these  walls  there  was  a  timber  palisade 
resembling  those  at  Circleville,  or  possibly  like  those  described 
by  Dr.  William  Dawson  as  Hochelega.  There  are  no  ditches 
outside  the  wall,  but  a  ditch  inside  that  of  the  smaller  circles. 
This  characteristic  of  the  Ohio  villaiies  has  never  been  ex- 
plained.  It  was  probably  owing  to  a  peculiar  social  organiza- 
tion, but  that  organization  is  now  unknown,  and  we  are  left  only 
to  conjecture  as  to  what  it  was.  The  square  may  have  been 
used  for  the  governing  class,  very  much  as  the  truncated  pyra- 
mids at  the  south  were.  The  large  circular  enclosure  may  have 
contained  the  lodges  of  the  common  people,  the  village  proper. 
The  small  circles  mav  have  been  the  sweat  houses  or  assembly 
places  for  the  villagers.  lu  the  cases  where  there  are  three 
enclosures,  the  third,  which  was  a  circle,  may  have  been  used 
by  the  priestly  class,  if  we  may  suppose  that  there  was  such  a 
class. 

2.  We  have  said  that  the  enclosures  were  used  as  clan  residences. 
These  residences  were  in  villages.  Wherever  there  was  a  clan  there 
was  a  village,  and  what  is  more  the  x'illages  were  not  built  by 
individuals  or  by  families,  but  were  built  by  the  clan.  We  are 
uncertain  what  kind  of  houses  they  were.  They  may  have  been 
frail  temporary  structures  built  of  poles,  covered  with  skins, 
bark  or  dirt,  similar  to  those  of  the  Mandans.  They  may  have 
been  circular  lodges,  such  lodges  as  have  left  their  rings  in  many 
places  in  the  south  and  west.  1  hey  may  have  been  long  houses. 
however,  built  after  the  model  of  the  Iroquois  long  house.  There 
may  have  been  a  difference  between  them,  some  of  them  being 
mere  circular  lodges  or  tents,  others  square  or  rectangular  build- 
ings, resembling  those  built  by  the  southern  tribes — Choctaws, 
Chickasaws  and  Creeks.  The  sweat  houses  or  estufas,  or  assem- 
bly places,  may  have  been  circular  buildings,  resembling  the 
rotundas  of  the  Cherokees,  while  the  house  of  the  chiefs  may 
have  been  square,  or  rectangular,  similar  to  those  which  were 
erected  on  the  summit  of  the  platforms  or  pyramids  of  the  (julf 
States,  There  are  lodge  circles  or  rings  with  fire-beds  in 
Ohio,  such  as  have  been  found  in  Tennessee  and  Missouri,  and 
in  some  casos  in  Iowa.  These  lodge  rings,  however,  arc  sugges- 
tive, for  they  show  what  might  have  been  the  arrangement  of  the 
houses  among  the  Ohio  mound-builders.  These  rings  were 
generally  placed  in  lines  around  the  outside  of  a  central  square, 
or  plaza,  as  the  Spaniards  call  it.  Somewhere  in  the  enclosure 
there  would  be  a  high  mound  which  was  used  as  a  lookout.  This 
would  be  near  the  edge  of  the  village. 

3.  In  the  center  of  most  of  these  villages  there  is  a  platform  or 
truncated  pyramid,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been  the  place 
wher^  iJbe  chiefs  had  their  houses.    This  is  the  uniform  arrange- 


VILLAGES  AND  VILLAGE  LIFE.  151 

ment  of  the  villages,  as  they  are  found  in  the  mountain  district 
of  Tennessee  and  in  the  cypress  swamps  of  Arkansas  and  Mis- 
souri. The  arrangement  of  the  Ohio  villages  may  have  been 
the  same,  at  least  there  are  platforms,  elliptical  or  circular  in 
shape,  which  are  situated  in  the  center,  showing  that  a  public 
buildingof  some  kind  was  in  the  midst  of  the  enclosure. 

4.  The  parallel  walls  form  another  peculiar  feature  of  the 
villages  of  Ohio.  These  generally  extend  from  the  enclosures 
to  the  river's  bank,  but  sometimes  extend  from  one  enclosure  to 
another.  They  were  probabl}'  intended  to  protect  the  people 
as  they  went  to  and  from  the  villages.  The  works  at  Newark 
illustrate  this  point.  (See  the  Plate.)  These  works  are  inter- 
esting. They  are  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  fertile  plain,  which  is 
surrounded  by  high  hills  on  all  sides,  one  hill  being  especially 
prominent,  the  hill  on  which  the  alligator  mound  is  situated. 
The  works  are  very  extensive.  They  cover  in  extent  about 
two  miles  square,  and  consist  of  three  grand  divisions,  which 
are  connected  by  parallel  walls.  The  most  prominent  is  the 
circular  structure,  which  is  called  the  old  fort.  The  area  of 
this  structure  is  something  over  thirty  acres.  In  the  center  of 
it  is  the  mound  of  singular  shape,  which  is  called  the  bird;  the 
head  of  the  bird  pointed  directly  toward  the  entrance  of  the 
enclosure.  This  so-called  bird  originally  contained  an  altar. 
It  seemed  to  point  out  a  religious  design  to  the  whole  structure, 
and  yet  it  may  have  been  only  a  central  object  in  the  midst  of  a 
village,  an  object  which  would  show  that  the  villagers  were 
peculiarly  superstitious  The  gateway  of  this  fort,  so-called,  is 
very  imposing.  The  walls  are  not  less  than  16  feet  in  height, 
and  a  ditch  within  is  13  feet  deep,  giving  an  entire  height  of 
about  30  feet.  "In  entering  the  ancient  avenue  for  the  first  time 
the  visitor  does  not  fail  to  experience  a  sensation  of  awe,  such 
as  he  might  feel  in  passing  the  portals  of  an  Egyptian  temple." 
Such  is  the  testimony  of  the  author  of  "Ancient  Monuments," 
but  the  writer  can  bear  witness  that  the  same  impression  was 
made  upon  himself  when  entering  it  for  the  first  time.  The 
circle  is  nearly  a  true  circle,  its  diameter  being  1189  by  1163 
feet.  The  circle  is  united  with  a  square  by  parallel  walls,  which 
form  a  wide  covered  way.  There  is  between  the  square  and 
the  creek  or  river  another  large  enclosure,  which  is  partiallv 
surrounded  by  walls,  and  which  has  a  complicated  system  of 
covered  ways  connected  with  it.  This  seems  to  have  been  the 
central  spot  for  the  two  villages  which  were  located  here.  It 
may  have  been  a  place  of  assembly,  a  dance  ground  or  a  feast 
place.  There  is  a  single  circle  within  it,  a  number  of  conical 
mounds,  and  a  graded  way  which  leads  from  it  to  the  edge  of 
the  terrace,  situated  south  of  it.  This  graded  way  is  a  peculiar 
work,  but  is  similar  to  those  found  at  Piketon  and  Marietta.  The 
chief  peculiarity  of  the  work  is  that  there  are  parallel  walls; 
two  of  these,  which  are  upwards  of  a  mile  in  length,  extend 


152  PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 

from  the  works  just  described  to  the  octagon  situated  west  or 
northwest  of  the  old  fort  or  great  circle.  These  parallel  lines 
were  probably  covered  ways,  one  of  which  connected  the  vil- 
lage enctosures  with  one  another,  the  other  connecting  the  west 
enclosure  or  octagon  with  the  bottom  land  and  river's  edge, 
though  the  two  covered  ways  are  nearly  parallel.  There  is  a 
third  line,  which  extends  from  the  octagon  southward  for  nearly 
two  miles  This  covered  way  loses  itself  in  the  plain.  It  may 
have  been  designed  to  protect  the  villagers  as  they  went  to  and 
from  the  fields. 

In  the  center  of  the  works,  nearly  surrounded  by  the  covered 
ways,  is  a  large  pond,  which  may  have  served  as  a  reservoir  of 
water  fot  both  villages,  as  access  could  be  gained  to  it  through 
the  openings  in  the  walls  from  either  side.  There  are  small 
circles  scattered  around  among  the  works.  These  may  have 
been  the  estufas  or  sweat  houses,  as  they  all  have  the  same 
general  appearance  and  dimensions.  The  chief  feature  of  the 
work  is  the  octagon  and  small  circle.*  The  octagon  has  eight 
gateways,  each  gateway  being  guarded  by  an  elliptical  mound 
or  truncated  pyramid,  5  feet  high,  80  by  100  feet  at  base.  The 
circle  connected  with  the  octagon  is  a  true  circle  2080  feet 
— upwards  of  half  a  mile — in  circumference.  It  has  on  the 
southwest  side  what  was  probably  once  a  gateway,  but  it  seems 
to  have  been  abandoned  and  an  observatory  built  in  its  stead. 
See  Fig.  7. 

5.  The  watch  towers  and  observatory  mounds  are  also  to 
be  noticed.  The  observatory  at  Newark  is  very  imposing.  It 
is  170  feet  long,  is  8  feet  higher  than  the  general  embankment, 
overlooks  the  entire  work,  and  may  have  been  used  as  a  look- 
out station  to  protect  the  fields  adjoining.  A  number  of  small 
circles,  which  are  called  watch  towers  by  Atwater,  are  found 
connected  with  the  works,  and  are  chiefly  embraced  in  the  area 
between  the  parallel  walls. 

In  reference  to  the  works  at  Newark  in  its  different  parts, 
Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis  say:  "Several  extraordinary  coinci- 
dences are  exhibited  between  them  and  the  works  situated  else- 
where. The  smaller  circle  is  identical  in  size  with  that  belonging 
to  the  Hopeton  works  and  that  at  Highbank,  which  are  situated 
seventv  miles  distant.  The  square  has  the  same  areas  as  the 
square'  at  Hopeton  and  the  octagon  at  Highbank.  The  octa- 
gon has  the  same  area  as  the  square  at  Marietta.  There  are 
mounds  inside  of  the  gateway  the  same  as  found  in  other  places. 
The  observatory  here  corresponds  to  the  large  observatory  at 
Marietta,  though  that  is  somewhat  higher.  The  small  circles, 
which  we  call  estufas,  are  of  the  same  general  character  and 


*Each  has  a  diameter  of  about  200  feet,  has  a  ditch  interior  to  the  walls,  and  ele- 
vated embanl<  men  ts  in  the  shape  of  crescents  inteiior  to  the  ditch.  This  is  the 
common  form  with  all  of  the  small  circles  which  are  so  numerous  in  connection 
with  the  villaKe sites. 


VILLAGES  AND  VILLAGE  LIFE. 


153 


dimensions  as  those  found  at  Hopeton,  at  Ilicrhbank,  at  the 
junction  f^roup,  and  at  Chillicothe.  The  resemblances  between 
the  vihaijeat  Newark  and  those  found  elsewhere  in  this  district 
are,  we  think,  quite  significant.  We  find  in  many  of  the 
other  works,  especially  those  on  Paint  Creek  and  in  the  Scioto 
Valley,  that  there  are  three  enclosures,  two  of  them  beinj^  a 
circle  and  square,  and  a  third  beinjr  irrej^ular  in  form,  but  j^en- 
erally  larger  than  either  the  circle  or  square.  This  larger  en- 
closure sometimes  intervenes,  between  the  circle  aud  the  square 
and  sometimes  it  is  situated  at  the  side  of  eacli,  making  a  tri- 


J''i<l.  I. — OOscndlitri/  (It  ?i'(if(ir/i\ 

angle  with  them.  It  is  probable  that  the  same  use  was  made 
of  this  large  enclosures  in  the  other  localities  that  was  made  of 
the  large  enclosure  at  Newark,  the  only  difTerence  being  that 
connected  with  the  circle  and  square,  it  constituted  one  village, 
but  in  this  case  it  served  for  the  two  vilages,  the  connection 
between  them  being  secured  by  the  parallel  wall.''^' 

6.  We  turn  to  ihe  description  of  the  graded  ways.  These  are 
very  interesting  works,  but  confirm  what  we  have  said  about 
village  sites.  There  is  a  graded  way  at  Newark,  another  at 
Pikeion,  another  at  Marietta,  and  another  is  said  to  be  situated 
at  Piqua.    They  all  have  the  same  general  characteristics.    They 


*The  reader  will  see  this  plainly  by  examining  the  plates  in  the  Ancient  Monu- 
ments. Seo  Highbcanlv  works,  Plate  XVf,  works  on  Liberty  Townsliip,  Plate  XY, 
works  on  Paint  Creek,  Plate  XX  I,  1  and  2,  and  works  on  the  Scioto  near  Chi'licothe, 
and  on  the  north  fork  of  Painl  Creek,  at  (Jld  Cliillicothe,  Plate  XXI,  Nos.  .i,  4.  See 
works  at  Hopeton,  XVI  I,  also  works  in  the  Scioto  Valley,  Plate  1 1,  also  at  Black  water 
irronp,  XXII,  No.  2.  Clai  ke's  Workn  contains  the  square  and  Ihe  circle,  but  the  cir- 
cle is  mside  of  tlie  large  enclosure,  which  is  very  nuicli  larger  than  the  ordinary 
square,  being2S0U  by  ISOO  feet,  and  contains  an  ariM  '>f  111  acres,  instead  of  .50. 


154 


PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 


run  from  the  terrace  on  which  the  villacre  enclosure  was  situ- 
ated down  to  the  bottom  lands.  The  bottom  lands  are  now 
dry,  but  it  is  probable  that  at  the  time  the  works  were  built 
they  constituted  the  river  bed.  The  object  of  the  graded  way 
was  undoubted  to  secure  a  landing  places  lor  canoes.  The 
rivers  of  Southern  Ohio  are  still  subject  to  floods.  They  were 
probably  severer  in  prehistoric  times.  The  walls  on  either  side 
of  the  graded  way  would  serve  a  double  purpose;  they  would 
protect  the  villagers  as  they  went  to  the  water's  edge,  and  would 
also  keep  the  canoes  from  being  carried  away  by  the  sudden 
rise  of  the  water.  The  graded  way  at  Newark  has  a  tongue 
of  land  which  extends  beyond  the  walls.     This  may  have  served 


Fiij.  S — Graded  W  HI  (d  I'.keloii, 

as  a  sort  of  landing  place  or  quasi  wharf.  Owl  Creek,  a  small 
stream,  flows  south  of  this  work.  The  elevated  grade  was  ex- 
tended out  to  the  water  in  this  creek.  In  the  case  of  the  graded 
way  at  Piketon  and  at  Newark  the  incline  begins  at  the  bottom 
land  and  rises  by  a  gradual  ascent  to  the  summit  of  the  terrace. 
The  breadth  between  the  walls  at  Piketon  is  215  feet  at  one 
end  and  203  at  the  other,  but  the  way  is  1080  feet  long;  the  rise 
is  17  feet.  See  F\q.  8.  The  height  of  the  wall,  measured  from 
the  lower  extremity  of  the  grade,  is  no  less  than  22  feet,  but 
measured  from  the  common  surface  varies  from  11  feet  at  the 
brink  to  5  feet  at  the  upper  terrace  The  ascent  is  very  grad- 
ual. At  the  upper  extremity  of  the  grade  there  is  a  wall  which 
runs  2580  feet  toward  a  group  of  mounds,  which  at  present  are 
enclosed  in  a  cemetery.  There  is  also  another  mound  30  feet 
high  about  40  rods  away.  The  object  of  this  graded  way  is 
unknown,  but  judging  from  its  similarity  to  other  graded  w'ays 
in  the  same  state,  we  conclude  that  there  was  a  village  site  on 


VILLAGES  AND  VILLAGE  LIFE.  155 

the  upper  terrace,  though  there  are  no  walls  perceptible  there. 
The  graded  way  at  Marietta  is  also  very  interesting.  This  has 
alread}'  been  described.  A  distance  of  several  hundred  feet 
intervenes  between  the  end  ot  the  graded  wa}-  and  the  bank  of 
the  river,  which  is  here  35  or  40  feet  in  height.  It  has  been 
conjectuted  that  the  river  flowed  immediateh'  at  the  foot  of  the 
way  at  the  time  of  its  construction.  If  so,  it  would  prove  the 
antiquity  of  the  works  to  be  ver}'  great.  Graded  ways  similar 
to  these  in  Ohio  are  found  in  Georgia  in  connection  with  the 
high  conical  mounds,  but  they  generalh'  lead  to  ponds,  and  may 
have  been  used  for  a  dilTerent  purpose. 

7.  In  reference  to  the  association  of  the  fortifications  with  the 
villages  and  the  sacred  enclosures,  a  few  words  will  be  appropri- 
ate. It  is  explained  by  the  peculiarities  of  clan  life.  It  appears 
that  among  all  uncivilized  races  the  clan  was  the  unit.  The  family 
was  nothing  when  compared  with  the  clan.  In  fact,  the  clan 
seemed  to  be  more  important  than  the  tribe.  It  was  much  more 
important  than  the  nation,  if  the  nation  existed.  It  is  probable 
that  the  communistic  system  prevailed  in  most  of  the  clans. 
Subsistence  was  secured  by  members  of  the  clan.  The  burials 
may  have  been  in  clans,  or  by  a  number  of  clans  uniting  together. 
The  so-called  altar  mounds  were  probably  the  places  where 
several  clans  were  brought  together  and  presented  their  offerings 
and  made  their  burials.  The  fortifications  were  also  places 
where  the  clans  c;nue  togeter  for  common  defense. 

Many  of  these  hill  forts  are  situated  in  the  midst  of  village  en- 
closures. One  of  them,  that  at  Bourneville,  has  been  frequently 
described.  It  is  very  large,  containing  140  acres,  being  situated 
in  the  midst  of  the  villages  on  Paint  Creek.  The  Ancient  Fort 
and  that  at  Hamilton,  on  the  Great  Miami,  were  also  large.  These 
were  situated  not  far  from  other  village  enclosures.  The  fortified 
hill  called  "Fort  Hill,"  in  Highland  County,  is  not  very  far  from 
villaees,  beincr  but  thirtv  miles  from  Chillicothc.  The  fortified 
hill  near  Granville  is  near  the  works  at  Newark,  but  it  was  prob- 
ably built  by  a  later  race,  as  it  differs  very  materially  from  the 
works  at  Newark.  The  ancient  works  on  Massey's  Creek,  in 
Greene  County,  may  have  been  erected  by  the  typical  mound- 
builders  of  the  district,  but  of  the  works  at  the  mouth  of  the 
Miami,  on  the  Great  Miami,  in  Butler  County  and  Hamilton 
County,  there  is  some  uncertainty.  Some  of  them  may  have 
belonged  to  the  typical  mound-builders,  but  others  may  have 
been  built  by  an  earlier  or  a  later  race. 

This  is  also  the  use  which  was  made  of  Fort  Ancient.  A  part 
of  this  had  been  built  by  a  race  of  effigy-builders,  the  same  race 
who  built  the  great  serpent  and  made  it  the  great  center  of  ser- 
pent worshio.  A  part  of  it.  however,  was  probably  built  by  the 
same  people  who  erected  the  village  enclosures,  who  were  sun 
worshipers.     There  are  some  reasons  for  believing  that  the  ser 


156  PRDIITIVK  ARCHITECTURE. 

pent  worshipers  migrated  from  this  part  of  Ohio  and  afterwards 
became  the  effigy-builders  of  Wisconsin,  as  there  are  many  ser- 
pent effigies  scattered  along  the  bluffs  of  the  Mississippi  River, 
the  route  which  they  are  supposed  to  have  taken  in  their  migra- 
tion. The  sun  worshipers  may  possibly  have  been  the  same 
people,  and  yet  the  probability  is  that  they  migrated  southward 
and  became  the  pyramid-builders  of  the  Southern  States,  em- 
bodying that  worship  in  the  pyramid  as  they  had  here  in  the 
circles  and  crescents. 

8.  The  connection  of  the  village  enclosures  with  the  lookout 
mounds  is  our  last  point.  These  lookout  mounds  may  have 
been  used  by  all  of  the  different  tribes  or  races  which  oc- 
cupied the  district,  but  it  is  plain  that  they  were  also  used  by  the 
people  of  the  village  enclosures.  Squier  and  Davis  speak  of 
the  lookout  on  the  top  of  the  hill  above  Chillicothe,  the  lookout 
which  commands  a  view  of  the  whole  district  in  which  the  vil- 
lages were  situated.  The  writer  has  visited  the  great  mound  at 
Miamisburg,  and  found  that  it  commanded  a  view  of  the  valley 
in  which  were  the  works  at  Alexandersville,  and  at  the  same  time 
was  connected  with  others  which  reached  as  far  as  Fort  Ancient. 
One  peculiarity  about  this  mound  was  noticed.  At  a  certain 
height  on  the  side  of  the  mound  the  view  extended  over  the 
valley  where  were  the  various  earthworks,  but  it  was  limited  by 
surrounding  hills  or  headlands.  The  summit,  however,  gave  a 
view  of  other  hills  beyond  these,  and  the  writer  was  convinced 
that  It  was  raised  to  this  height  in  order  that  signals  might  be 
exchanged  between  those  who  were  living  in  the  Miami  valley 
and  those  who  were  living  in  the  valley  west  of  it,  thus  showing 
that  the  White  River  and  the  Miami  River  were  included  in  one 
district.  Rev.  T.  J.  McLean  has  also  studied  out  the  signal 
stations  and  made  a  complete  net-work  of  them  throughout 
Butler  and  Hamilton  Counties,  Whether  this  .system  of  signal 
stations  extended  beyond  the  district  which  we  are  now  describ- 
ing we  are  unable  to  say,  but  we  have  no  doubt  that  the  signal 
stations  were  used  by  the  village  people  who  erected  the  typical 
earth  works  of  Southern  Ohio.  Grave  Creek  mound  may  have 
been  one  of  the  signai  stations,  an  outwork  which  was  farthest 
to  the  east.  The  high  conical  mound  at  Marietta  was  another. 
The  high  conical  mound  at  Circleville  reached  the  height  of 
ninety  feet;  this  is  another  of  the  signal  stations  which  were  used 
by  the  village  Indians. 


THE  RACE  QUESTION  157 


CHAPTER   X. 


THE  RACE  QUESTION. 

We  now  take  up  the  subject  of  the  races.  It  was  once  the 
opinion  that  there  were  different  races  on  this  continent,  some 
of  them  were  identical  with  the  races  known  to  history,  and  the 
mounds  were  supposed  to  furnish  evidence  of  this.  The  par- 
ticular race  which  built  the  mounds  was  not  known  but  the 
most  popular  theory  was  that  they  were  either  Phoenicians  or 
were  the  members  of  the  lost  tribes  of  Israel.  Whole  books 
were  written  to  prove  this  theory,  one  of  them  by  the  celebrat- 
ed Adair,  who  was  an  Indian  agent,  and  had  an  abundant  op- 
portunity to  know  about  the  Indians  of  the  Gulf  States.  The 
great  work  of  Lord  Kingsborough,  on  which  he  spent  his  for 
tune,  and  which  resulted  in  his  financial  ruin,  and  imprison- 
ment for  debt, was  marred  by  a  similar  theory.  Opposite  to  this 
theor>-,  is  the  position  which  is  taken  by  the  members 
of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  at  Washington, which  is,  to  the  ef- 
fect, that  all  the  tribes  in  America  belong  to  one  race,  which, 
should  be  called  the  Amerinds,  a  barbarous  word  coined  out 
of  two  other  words,  viz:  American  Indians.  This  opinion,  how- 
ever, is  not  accepted  by  all ;  in  fact,  many  of  those  who  have  had 
the  best  opportunities  to  know,  take  the  ground  that  the  conti- 
nent was  settled  by  different  stocks  that  entered  from  the 
northwest,  and  spread  out  in  different  directions;  the  Eskimos 
toward  the  north  and  east  along  the  Arctic  coast;  the  Atha- 
pascans south-east  into  the  interior;  the  Algonkins  and  Iro- 
quois eastward  toward  the  Atlantic;  the  Nahuas  southward, 
ultimately  reaching  New  Mexico  and  Mexico  and  where  they 
became  the  founders  of  the  Pueblos  and  the  Toltec 
civilization.*  This  is  the  opinion  of  Mr.  Edward  H.  Payne 
and  Mr.  L.  H.  Morgan  who  identified  the  Mound  Builders 
with  the  Pueblo  tribes.  This  diversity  of  opinion  has  had  a 
tendency  to  keep  the  mound  builder  question  open,assome  hold 
that  there  were  different  races  formerly  dwelling  in  the  Missis- 
sippi Valley,  some  of  them  having  come  into  the  valley  at  an 

•The  account  of  their  m'gration  is  preserved  in  the  picture  writings  o'  the  Nahuas.  There 
is  also  a.  tradition  among  the  MuiCo?ees  that  their  ancestors  migrited  from  the  west  into  the 
Gulf  States  and  began  at  an  early  date  to  build  mounds.  The  Delewares  and  Iroquois  also 
have  a  tr.-\dition  that  when  they  came  into  the  Mississippi  va!ley--a  people  called  Alleghewi 
were  living  in  villages  but  after  long  wars  they  were  driven  to  the  south  These  traditions  are 
confirmed  by  the  study  of  the  altar  mounds  and  their  contents  and  by  other  tokens. 


158  PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 

early  date  from  one  direction,  and  some  from  another,  three 
or  four  different  stocks  being  represented  by  the  different 
classes  of  mounds  and  earthworks  which  have  been  identified 
though  the  subject  is  in  that  state  of  uncertainty  that  no  one 
has  been  able  thus  far  to  say  where  these  stocks  originated,  or 
at  what  time  they  first  settled  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  There 
is  one  fact  which  has  not  received  as  much  attention  as  it  de- 
serves. It  is.  that  there  was  a  succession  of  population  in  near- 
ly every  one  of  the  districts  into  which  the  Mound  Builders' 
territory  has  been  divided.  The  succession  began  perhaps  be- 
fore the  last  glacial  period,  but  continued  even  up  through  the 
time  when  the  continent  assumed  its  present  condition,  and 
did  not  cease  until  after  the  Discovery  by  Columbus.  This  suc- 
cession has  been  traced  not  only  in  the  relics  which  have  been 
discovered,  but  in  the  skulls  and  skeletons,  as  well  as  in  the 
mounds  and  earthworks,  for  the  mounds  were  not  built  all  at 
the  same  time,  but  at  differenf  times,  and  by  different 
peoples, 

It  is  claimed  by  Prof.  F.  W.  Putnam  and  others,  that  the 
Esquimaux  reached  as  far  south  as  Cape  Cod, and  left  their  rel- 
ics in  the  shell  mounds  found  on  the  coast;  also,  by  Rev.  W. 
M,  Beauchamp,  that  they  once  dwelt  in  New  York  state,  for 
their  relics  have  been  found  there  beneath  the  soil.  It  is  also 
well  known  that  the  Iroquois  and  Delavvares  claim  that  they 
were  preceded  by  a  race  called  the  AUighewi,  who  have  been 
identified  by  some  as  the  Mound  Builders  of  the  Ohio  Valley, 
though  others  think  they  were  the  Cherokees.  Dr.  Horatio 
Hale  held  that  the  great  Dakota  stock  once  dwelt  on  the  At- 
lantic Coast,  and  a  portion  of  them  migrated  through  the 
Mound  Builders'  territory  and  finally  reached  their  home  on 
the  Missouri  and  upper  Mississippi  rivers.  The  evidence  is  that 
at  one  time  the  southern  Mound  Builders  moved  northward 
and  took  possession  of  the  valley  of  the  Ohio,  and  built  the 
great  mounds  at  Cahokia  in  Illinois,  and  at  St.  Louis,  as  well 
as  those  in  Marietta,  Ohio.  Since  the  Discovery,  .several  tribes 
have  passed  over  the  same  region,  among  them  may  be  men- 
tioned the  Cherokees,  the  Eries,  the  Iroquois,  the  Shawnees, 
the  Delavvares,  and  the  Hurons;  all  of  these  having  used  the 
mounds  as  burial  places,  and  left  their  relics  in  them,  but  the 
difficulty  has  been  to  separate  the  relics  from  one  another,  and 
identify  the  tribe  by  the  relics.  The  architologists  have  also 
been  puzzled  over  the  finding  of  certain  highly-wrought  and 
finely  finished  relics  in  the  state  of  Ohio;  relics  that  give  the 
idea  that  a  people  or  a  tribe  once  dwelt  there  who  had  reached 
a  much  higher  stage  of  art  than  any  of  the  Indian  tribes  of  the 
north,  and  yet  they  do  not  seem  to  have  been  left  by  any  white 
race. 

These  relics  have  been  found  in  the  larger  mounds,  such  as 
are  situated  in  the  Scioto  valley  in  Ohio, and  in  the  Etowah  val- 
ley in  Georgia.      It  is  also  worthy  of  notice  that  many  burial 


PYRAMID    MOUND    IN    ILLINOIS. 


'^1> 


PYRAMID    MOUND    IN    MISSISSIPPI. 


>tgf$^t Wn,^;?«Si:i^ -J  i  .' .  If, 


.■n^>" 

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r«Jj^r  '"' 


'  'Ob  •        1 


X 

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Z 

o 


THE  RACE  QUESTION.  i6i 

mounds  of  Ohio  present  a  succession  of  burials,  some  of  which 
belong  to  the  early  mound  builders,  others  to  the  nomadic 
tribes,  such  as  the  Algonquins, while  the  large  platform  mounds 
found  on  the  Tennessee  river  are  stratified  in  such  a  way  as  to 
show  that  they  were  built  at  different  times,  as  a  succession 
of  council-houses  or  great  houses  had  been  built  upon  them. 

Another  fact  is  worthy  of  notice.  Each  mound  building 
tribe  followed  the  kind  of  life  which  was  best  suited  to  the  le- 
gion which  had  been  sjlected  for  its  own  habitat.  Those  who 
dwelt  in  the  forests  naturally  took  to  woodcraft,  and  to  the 
mingled  life  of  hunting,  fishing,  and  partial  land  tilling;  those 
who  dwelt  on  the  Ohio  river  where  everything  was  favorable 
to  permanent  and  stable  lite,  naturally  took  to  the  cultivation 
of  the  soil,  and  the  establishing  of  villages,  though  they  were 
obliged  to  surround  their  villages  with  earth-works  as  a  matter 
of  defense;  while  those  who  dwelt  in  the  prairie  region  of  the 
west  naturally  followed  the  nomadic  life,  occupying  their  vil- 
lages in  the  winter,  but  moving  them  in  summer  in  order  to 
follow  the  herds  of  buffalo  and  wild  animals  to  their  feeding 
grounds.  It  is  noticeable  that  the  people  who  dwelt  in  the 
cypress  swamps  of  Arkansas  built  villages  on  the  sand  ridges, 
while  drawing  their  subsistence  from  the  swamps,  and  the  peo- 
ple who  dwelt  in  the  mountain  regions  of  Tennessee  and  Ken- 
tucky "called  the  Stone  Grave"  people,  established  themselves 
on  the  rivers  and  built  their  fortified  villages,  in  which  are  the 
remains  of  their  council-houses,  their  temples  as  well  as  their 
burial  places, and  prixatehousesand  hearthswhile  the  Gulf  states 
present  the  remains  of  a  people  who  differed  in  many  particu- 
lars from  all  others.  These  were  visited  by  the  early  explor- 
ers under  Ferdinand  de  Soto,  and  were  found  to  be  living  in 
large  villages,  and  to  be  agriclturalists,  their  fields  of  corn  ex- 
tending from  village  to  village,  but  their  houses  generally  be- 
ing concentrated  into  a  small  compass. 

Another  thought  arises  in  this  connection.  The  magnitude 
of  the  mounds  and  earthworks  on  the  Ohio  River  and  the 
Gulf  States,  impresses  nearly  everyone  with  the  conviction 
that  the  people  who  erected  them  were  more  industrious,  en- 
ergetic and  better  organized  than  the  hunter  tribes  farther 
north,  the  contrast  between  the  two  classes  of  earthworks  sug- 
gesting the  idea  that  they  were  erected  by  different  races. 
The  largest  of  the  earthworks  were  situated  in  southern  Ohio, 
and  constituted  the  village  enclosures  of  an  agricultural  tribe 
which  formerly  dwelt  there,  but  was  driven  off  by  the  combined 
forces  of  the  Iroquois  and  Algonkins,  fierce  battles  being 
fought  in  their  territory.  These  villages  were  surrounded  by 
earth-walls,  which  perhaps  were  surmounted  by  timber  stock- 
ades,making  a  series  of  "walled  towns"  which  must  at  one  time 
have  presented  a  very  imposing  appearance. 

In  some  of   the  valleys,  especially  those  of   the   Scioto  and 
Miami  Rivers  and  their  iDranches,  several  villages  were  cluster- 


162  PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 

ed  together,  making  a  busy  scene  when  the)'  were  occupied, 
and  the  rich  fields  were  under  cultivation.  These  village  en- 
closures were  all  connected  with  the  river  banks,  agricultural 
fields  and  the  places  of  religious  gatherings  where  their  sacred 
dances  were  conducted,  by  so-called  "covered  ways,"  showing 
that  the  people  were  constantly  besieged  by  enemies  and  so 
needed  the  protection  of  earth-walls. 

There  is  no  place  on  the  continent  which  is  more  sugges- 
tive of  conflict  than  southern  Ohio.  The  Pueblos  of  the  west 
were  built  in  stories, and  in  such  a  way  that  large  villages  could 
be  contained  in  a  single  great  house,  the  lower  story  present- 
ing a  dead  wall  without  door-ways,  so  that  no  lurking  foe 
could  gain  entrance  to  the  village  except  by  the  aid  of  ladders 
which  were  drawn  up  at  night,  the  architecture  of  the  village 
suggesting  that  the  people  who  dwelt  in  them  were  surrounded 
by  hostile  forces. 

The  same  is  true  of  the  Cliff  Dwellings,  for  they  were  plac- 
ed in  the  most  secure  positions  amid  the  cliffs  and  were  pro- 
tected by  towers,  which  were  either  situated  above  the  cliffs 
or  in  the  valleys  below. 

The  villages  of  the  Mound  Builders  also  convey  the  impres- 
sion that  hostile  forces  were  besieging  them,  for  on  every  hill- 
top adjoining  the  valleys  where  the  villages  were  situated, were 
high  conical  mounds  on  which  were  placed  sentinels  by  day 
and  signal  fires  were  lighted  by  night,  so  that  no  attack 
could  be  made  without  an  alarm  being  sent  from  village  to 
village,  and  from  valley  to  valley.  These  village  enclosures 
and  high  conical  mounds  excite  our  wonder  especially  when 
we  consider  the  poor  appliances  for  constructing  them.  There 
were  no  steel  spades  or  shovels  known  to  the  people;  no  tram- 
ways or  cars  for  carrying  the  dirt  of  which  they  were  built,  as 
no  iron-bound  wheel  has  ever  been  found,  and  no  evidence  that 
the  wheel  or  axle  was  known  to  the  people.  All  that  the  build- 
ers of  the  earth-works  had  to  help  them  in  this  work  were  the 
rude  stone  axes,  the  few  copper  spades,  a  few  stone  hoes,  a 
number  of  baskets  woven  out  of  reeds,  and  such  other  contri- 
vances as  a  rude  people  had  devised.  The  work  of  con- 
structing the  walls  whi.h  surrounded  the  villages,  and  build- 
ing up  the  lofty  lookout  mounds  was  very  difificult  under  the 
circumstances,  hut  was  accomplished  by  the  combined  forces 
which  were  undoubtedly  directed  by  their  chiefs  or  by  such 
overseers  or  officers    as  had  been  appointed. 

I.  The  evidence  is  that  the  masses  were  governed  by  the  rul- 
ing classes  exactly  as  thev  were  in  the  southern  states  among 
the  Muscogee  tribes  who  built  the  pyramid  mounds  which  are 
so  numerous  in  that  region.  The  view  which  is  presented  by 
the  great  valley  is  a  very  interesting  one,  for  it  suggests  that 
here  was  a  state  of  society,  and  a  form  of  religion,  quite  differ- 
ent from  that  which  prevailed  among  the  hunter  tribes  to  the 
north,  east,  and  west  of  the  region,  and  was  like  that  vvhich 


THE  RACE  QUESTION. 


163 


existed  among  the  so-called  civilized  races  of  the  south-east 
where  the  masses  were  under  the  control  of  kings  and  priests. 
We  should  say  that  there  is  in  this  region  a  greater  variety 
of  tumuli  or  burial  mounds  than  is  found  any  where  else  on 
the  continent.  Some  of  these  are  stratified  and  show  a  suc- 
cession of  burials.  They  suggest  to  us  that  the  region  was  oc- 
cupied by  different  tribes,  each  tribe  having  its  own  method  of 
burial  and  its  own  class  of  relics,  and  its  own  customs  and 
ways.     This  renders  the  region  an  interesting   field  for  study, 


MOUND    NO.   2,    MOUND    CITY. 

for  it  confirms  what  we  have   said  of    the  migration  of  tribes 
through  this  same  valley. 

We  are  to  notice  further  that  there  are  altar  mounds  in 
southern  Ohio,  and  that  the  altars  contain  a  great  variety  of 
relics,  great  numbers  of  which  show  a  high  degree  of  art. 
What  is  remarkable  about  the  altars  is  that  they  are  always 
found  at  the  bottom  of  the  mounds,  thus  showing  that  the  peo- 
ple who  first  occupied  the  region,  and  began  the  process  of 
mound  building,  were  far  more  advanced  than  those  who  follow- 
ed them. and  for  this  reason  they  have  bean  called  the  "mound 
builders,"  par  excellence. 


MOUND   NO.    3,    MOUND   CITY. 

In  studving  these  altar  mounds  and  the  so  called  temple 
mounds  which  adjoin  them,  we  find  that  they  were  gener- 
ally close  by  some  village  enclosure,  and  probably  mark  the 
places  of  sacrifice  and  religious  ceremony, which  the  early  mound 
builders  were  accustomed  to  observe.  This  confirms  the  position 
we  have  taken  that  the  earthworks  which  surrounded  the  vil- 
lage enclosures,  were  symbolic  of  sun-worship,  as  they  abound 
in  circles  and  squares,  and  in  connection  with  them  are  cres- 
cents and  crosses,  giving  an  idea  that  there  was  a  recognition 
of  the  four  points  of  the  compass,  and  motion  of  the  heavenly 
bodies,  as  well  as  the  phases  of  the   moon.      All  of  them  were 


1 64 


PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 


objects  of  worship,  and  furnished  motives  for  the  people  to 
observe  religious  ceremonies  at  certain  periods  of  time.  This 
habit  of  sacrificing  to  the  heavenly  bodies,  and  making  offer- 
ings to  them,  at  particular  periods,  is  evident  from  the  fact  that 
in  many  localities  relics  have  been  found,  partly  burned,  upon 
the  altars,  and  even  human  bodies  have  been  partially  cre- 
mated, so  that  we  are  obliged  to  acknowledge  that  they  were 
a  very  religious  people  and  were  under  the  direction  of  their 
priests   who  kept   the  calendar,  and   ordered  the  ceremonies. 


MOUND   NO.    l8,    MOUND   CITY 

The  peculiarity  of  these  altar  mounds  is,  as  we  have  said,  that 
they  were  near  villages,  sometimes  within  them,  which  villages 
were  surrounatd  by  circular  walls,  the  altars  themselves  being 
in  the  shape  of  circles  and  squares,  and  sometimes  surrounded 
by  crescents. 

It  is  true,  also,  that  there  were  many  dance  grounds  on  the 
high  lands,  overlooking  the  beautiful  villages,  all  being  sur- 
rounded by  earth-works  in  the  form  of  circles  and  crescents, 
and  connected  with  the  village  enclosures  by  covered  ways,  or 


MOUND    NO.   6,    MOUND    CITY. 

parallel  walls;  thus  showing  that  the  builders  were  an  indus- 
trious and  religious,  and  at  the  same  time  a  peaceable  people 
and  depended  upon  their  earth-works  and  village  enclosures 
for  defense.  All  this  throws  much  light  on  the  village  life  of 
the  people  that  prevailed,  and  makes  us  realize  how  perma- 
nent and  peaceful  their  villages  were. 

The  impression  formed  by  the  study  of  the  earth-works  and 
relics  left  by  this  early  people,  is  very  different  from  that  form- 
ed from  the  study  of  the  so-called  stockade  or  palisade  villages 
which  are  so  numerous  in  the  State  of  New  York,  and  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  in  northern  Ohio.  The  impression  is,  that  there 
was  a  succession  of   tribes,  that  the  early  people  were  driven 


THE  RACE  QUESTION. 


165 


away  by  wild  tribes  who  came  in  and   built  forts  and  stockade 
villao^es. 

We  do  not  undertake  to  solve  the  problem  or  to  say  who 
the  people  were  who  built  these  village  enclosures,  and  these 
altar  mounds;  but  we  associate  them  with  the  great  stone  forts 
and  the  high  lookout  mounds  which  are  seen  upon  the  hill- 
tops overlooking  the  valleys,  and  conclude  that  there  was  for- 
merly a  confederacy  of  tribes  which  was  well  organized  and 
governed  by  permineiit  officers,  who  might  either  be  called 
kings  and  priests  or  chiefs,  and  medicine  men;  and  one  object 


MOUND    NO.   10,    MOUND    CITY. 

of  building  the  high  conical  mounds  was,  that  the  people  dwell- 
ing in  a  village  in  one  valley  might  send  signals  to  those  living 
in  another  vallev,  in  time  of  attack,  that  all  might  escape  to 
the  great  forts  which  were  in  the  \icinity,  and  were  so  well 
provided  with  natural  defenses. 

The  picture  is  certainly  an  interesting  one,  and  proves  that 
the  "mound  builders, "so  called,  of  the  Ohio  valley,  were  much 
more  advanced  and  perhaps  better  organized,  and  governed, 
than  were  the  wild  tribes  which  dwelt  in  the  stockade  forts 
farther  north,  or  the  nomadic  tribes  which  roamed  over  the 
prairies  of  the  west  and  were  mainl)-  hunters. 

The   clue  to  all  this    picture  is  furnished  us  by  the  village 


I'.WEU    ALTAR    AT    MOUND   CITY. 

life  that  prevailed  and  filled  the  villages  v.'ith  such  a  busy 
scene.  In  proof  of  this,  we  shall  speak  of  the  altar  mounds 
and  their  contents;  but  before  doing  so  shall  merely  refer  to 
the  opinion  of  those  gentlemen  who  first  entered  into  the  work 
of  exploring  the  mounds  and  enclosures,  and  exhumed  from 
them  so  many  highly  wrought  relics  of  various  kinds;  Squier  & 
Davis.  The  following  is  their  description  of  the  different 
earth-works  and  mounds: 

"In  connection,  more  or  less  intimate  with  the  various  earthworks  al- 
ready described,  and  the  tumuli  or  mounds;  together  these  two  classes  of 
remains  constitute  a  single  system  of  works,  and  the  monuments  of  the 
same  people.  While  the  enclosures  impress  us  with  the  number  and  pow- 
er of  the  nations  who  built  them,  and  enlighten  us  as  to  the  amount  of 
military  knowledge  and  skill  which  they  possessed,  the  mounds  and  their 


1 66 


PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTRUE. 


contents  serve  to  reflect  light  more  upon  the  customs  and  conditions  of  ait 
among  them. 

Within  these  mounds  we  must  look  for  the  only  authentic  remains  of 
their  builders;  they  are  the  principle  depositories  of  ancient  ail;  they  cover 
the  bones  of  the  distinguished  dead  of  remote  ages,  and  hide  from  the  pro- 
lane  gaze  of  invading  races  the  altars  of  the  ancient  people. 

In  respect  to  the  position  of  the  mounds,  it  may  be  said  that  those  of 
Ohio,  occur  within  or  near  enclosures;  sometimes  in  groups,  but  oftener 
detached  and  isolated.  The  altars  or  basins  found  in  these  mounds  are 
almost  invariably  of  burned  clay." 

"The  great  size  of  the  foregoingstructures  precludes  the  idea  that  they 
were  temples  in  the  general  acceptation  of  the  term;  as  has  already  been 
intimated  they  were  probably  like  the  j^reat  circles  of  England;  the  squares 
of  India,  Peril,  and  Mexico,  within  which  were  erected  the  shrines  of  the 
gods  of  the  ancient  worshipers,  and  the  altars  of  the  ancient  religion.  They 
may  have  embraced  consecrated  groves,  and  as  they  did  in  Mexico,  the 
residences  of  the  ancient  priesthood.  In  Peru,  none  except  the  blood  of 
of  the  royal  Incas,  whose  iather  was  the  son,  were  permitted  to  pass  the 
walls  of  their  primative  worship,  and  the  Imperial  Montezuma  humbly 
sought  the  pardon  of  his  insulted  gods  for  ventuiing  to  introduce  his  un- 
believing conqueror  within  the  area  consecrated  by  their  shrines.  Analogy 
would  tnerefore  seem  to  indicate  that  the  structures  (circles  and  squares) 
under  consideration,  were  nothing  but  sacred  enclosures.  We  find  within 
these  enclosures,  the  altars  upon  which  the  ancient  people  perlormed  their 


SCULPTURED  PIPE  FROM  ALTAR  MOUND  NO.  8. 
sacrifices.  We  find  also  pyramidal  structures,  (platform  mounds)  at  Ports- 
mouth. Marietta,  and  other  places  which  corie^pond  entirely  with  those  of 
Mexico  and  Central  America,  except  that  of  beinv''  composed  of  stone,  they 
are  constructed  ot  earth;  and  instead  ot  br(  ad  flights  of  steps  they  have 
graded  avenues  and  spiral  pathways  leading  to  their  summits," 
See  Ancient  Monuments  page  157. 

The  5rst  locality  that  we  shall  speak  of  is  the  one  called  the 
"  Mound  City;"  it'is  situated  in  Ross  county,  Ohio.  The  most 
striking  feature  of  th's  work  is  the  unusual  number  of  mounds 
which  it  contains;  there  are  no.  less  than  twenty-four  within  its 
walls.  All  of  these  have  been  excavated  and  found  to  con- 
tuin  altars  and  other  remains  which  put  it  beyond  question  as 
a  place  of  sacrifice.  One  mound  is  17  feet  high  with  a  broad 
base  nearly  100  feet  in  diameter. 

These  altar  mounds  were  evidently  the  places  of  sacrifice  of 
the  people  who  dwelt  in  the  villatres  of  the  Scioto  Valley,  and 
were  probably  the  places  of  sacrifice  for  the  entire  tribe,  rather 


THE  RACE  QUESTION. 


1 67 


than  one   clan,  as  the  relics  offered  were  more  numerous  than 
one  clan  would  be  likely  to  present. 

As  proof  of  this  we  refer  to  the  fact  that  within  a  distance 
of  twelve  miles  there  are  no  less  than  six  village  enclosures, 
and  a  great  number  of  burial  mounds  scattered  indiscriminate- 
ly over  the  surface,  and  the  great  fortified  enclosure  on  the 
north  fork  of  the  Paint  Creek  was  but  a  few  miles  away,  while 
.  lookout  mounds  were  situated  on  the  hill-tops  surrounding 
the  valley,  showing  that  the  people  were  banded  together  for 
defense  as  well  as  tor  worship. 

That  altar  mounds  were  connected  with  the  village  enclo- 
sures and  were  the  places  for  sacrifice  for  the  people  dwelling 
in  them  is  proved  by  the  works  which  were  discovered  on  the 
north  fork  of  Paint  Creek,  an  enclosure  that  contained  iii 
acres,  and  near  the  centre  of  which  was  a  smaller  enclosure 
which  contained  the  altar  mounds.  This  semi-circular  enclo- 
sures was  about  2,000  feet  in  circumference;  within  it  are  seven 
mounds,  three  of  which  are  joined  together,  forming  a  contin- 
uous elevation  30  feet  high,  500  feet  long,  180  feet  broad  at  the 
base.  All  the  mounds  were  places  of  sacrifice  containing  altars. 

The  first  discovery  was  made  at  what  is  called  Mound  city, 
a  small  enclosure  situated  in  the  Scioto  valley  not  far  from  the 
city  of  Chillicothe,  in  the  .S^, 

region  where  village  en- 
closuresare  numerous, and 
where  there  are  high  look- 
out mounds  on  the  hill- 
tops and  forts  not  far  dis- 
tant, giving  us  the  idea 
that  it  was  the  home  of  a 
numerous  people,  all  of 
whom  dwelt  in  walled  vil- 
lages and  were  confeder- 
ated together  for  mutual 
defense,  and  gained  sub- 
sistence by  cultivating  the 
soil  in  the  rich  bottom  lands  and  were  happy  and  prosperous. 

Mound  City  contained  twenty-six  altar  mounds  which 
varied  from  7  feet  high  and  55  feet  base  to  11  feet  high 
140  feet  base,  all  of  which  contained  an  immense  number  of 
articles,  man)' of  which  were  wrought  into  the  shape  of  birds 
and  beasts,  and  were  the  finest  .'specimens  of  art  wnich  ha\e 
been  discovered. 

The  chief  impression  about  the  people  is  that  thej'  were 
very  religious,  and  so  under  the  control  of  chiefs  and  priests, 
that  nearly  everything  was  done  from  a  religious  motive;  even 
their  dances  and  amusements  were  in  reality  religious  cere- 
monies. In  this  respect  they  resembled  the  mysterious  peo- 
ple called  Cliff  Dwellers, and  their  survivors  the  Pueblos  of  the 
far  west.  In  proof  of  this  we  would  refer  to  the  great  number 
■of  altar  mounds  and  the  wonderful  relics  which  they  contained. 


ENCLOSURK   ON    PAINT      CREEK. 


i68 


PRIMITIVE  ARCHITECTURE. 


all  of  which  show  that  the  people  had  not  only  reached  a  high 
stage  of  advancement  in  sculptured  art.  but  they  were  willing 
in  the  time  of  emergency  to  part  with  their  most  precious  rel- 
ics on  which  they  had  expended  so  much  labor  and  care,  in 
sacrifices  to  their  divinities.  Such  is  the  impression  we  have 
gained,  both  from  the  examination  of  the  works  themselves, 
and  from  the  testimony  of  the  various  explorers  who  have  dug 
into  the  mounds  and  discovered  these  altars  and  their  relics. 

The  following  is  a  description  of  the  altars  and  relics  takea 
from  them  by  Squier  &  Davis  the  authors  of  Ancient  Monu- 
ments: 

A  largi^e  number  of  these  altars  were  found  in  an  enclosure  called 
Mound  City,  on  the  banks  of  the  Scioto  river.  One  of  these  is  7  feet  high 
and  55  feet  base;  it  was  stratified  and  contained  an  intruded  skeleton 
near  the  top;  the  altar  was  perfectly  round  and  contained  pottery  vases  of 
excellent  finish;  copper  disks;  a  layer  of  silvery  mica  in  sheets  overlapping 
each  other;  and  calcined  bones. 

Another  mound  No.  2  was  go  feet  in  diameter,  7,'^  feet  high;  it  was  strati- 
fied and  contained  an  intruded  skeleton  at  the  top;  the  altar  measured  10 
foot  in  length  and  8  feet  in  width,  height  is  18  inches;  among  the  ashes  was 
a  beautiful  vase.  In  the  mound  3  feet  below  the  surface  were  found  two 
well  preserved  skeletons;  many  implements  of  stone,  horn  and  bone;  sev- 


SCULPTURED    BIRD    FROM    ALTAR    MOUND    NO.    8. 
eral  hand  axes  and  gouges  of  stone;  articles  made  from  the  horns  of  the 
elk;  one  from  the  shoulder  blade  of  a  buffalo;  a  notched   instrument  for 
distributing  paint  and  lines  on  the  fares  of  the  warriors. 

Another  mound  No.  4  was  qox6o  feet  base,  6  feet  in  height  and  an  altar, 
the  base  of  which  sank  below  the  original  surface  of  the  soil. 

Another  mound  No.  3,  egg-shapped,  m?asuring  140  foot  in  length, 
60  foot  wide,  II  feet  high,  contained  a  double  altar,  one  within  another. 
The  remains  found  in  this  mound  consisted  of  a  quantity  of  copper;  many 
implements  of  stone;  a  number  of  spear  heads  beautifully  chipped  out  of 
quartz  and  garnet;  a  quantitv  of  fragments  of  quartz  and  crvstals  of  garnet; 
obsidian  arrow  point;  a  number  of  fine  arrow-heads  of  limpid  quartz;  two 
copper  gravers  or  chisels,  or.e  measuring  eight  inches  in  length;  copper 
tubes;  a  couple  of  carved  pipes  made  out  of  marble, one  of  them  the  figure 
of  a  bird  resembling  the  tucan. 

Another  moind  No.  8,  containe-I  an  altar  6  feet  2  inches  by  4  foot, 
and,  in  the  altar  about  200  pipes,  much  broken  up  by  the  heat,  composed 
of  red  porphyry  stone  resembling  the  pipe  stone,  all  of  them  carved  in  fig- 
ures of  animals,  birds  and  reptiles,  all  of  them  executed  with  strict  fidelity 
to  nature,  and  with  exq'jisite  skill,  among  them  an  otter  holding  a  fish  in 
his  mouth;  the  heron  also  holds  a  fish;  the  tiawk  grasps  a  small  bird  in  its 
talons,  tears  it  with  its  beak;  the  panther;  the  bear;  the  wolf;  the  beaver; 
the  squirrel;  racoon;  hawk;  heron;  crow;  swallow;  buzzard;  paroquet; 
tucan;  and  other  birds;  the  turtle;  frog;  toad;  and  rattl,e-srLake,,ar.e  recog- 


THE  RACE  QUESTION.  169 

■nized  at  first  glance.  But  the  most  interesting  and  valued  are  a  number  of 
sculptured  human  heads,  no  doubt  faithfully  representing  the  physical  fea- 
tures of  the  ancient  people  by  whom  they  were  made. 

Another  mound  No.  18.  has  three  strata  an  intruded  burial,  and  an 
altar  which  contains  no  relics  but  at  a  depth  of  4 'i  feet  a  pavement  6x4 
.feet  was  reached.upon  this  pavement  a  skeleton  upon  which  afire  had  been 
built,  partially  cremating  it. 

Another  mound  No.  7,  measured  17 '<  feet  high,  go  foot  base;  it  was 
stratified  at  the  depth  of  19  feet,  was  found  a  smooth  level  floor  of  clay,  and 
a  layer  of  silvery  mica  formed  a  rounded  sheet  one  foot  in  diameter  and 
overlapping  each  other  like  the  scales  of  a  fish;  the  entire  length  of  this 
crescent  was  20  feet  and  greatest  width  was  5  feet.  This  crescent  suggested 
the  idea  that  it  was  used  as  the  symbol  of  the  moon  and  was  dedicated  to 

that  luminary. 

Mound  No.  9,  was  found  in  the  great  work  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint 
Creek,  and  contained  an  altar,  within  which  were  found  several  instru- 
ments of  obsilian;  several  scrolls  cut  from  thin  sheets  of  mica,  used  as  or- 
naments of  a  robe;  a  trace  of  cloth;  a  number  of  bone  needles;  graven 
tools;  a  quantity  of  pearl  beads.  Another  mound  contained  an  altar  that 
had  a  casing  of  pebbles  and  gravel  paved  with  small  round  stones,  a  little 
larger  than  a  hen's  egg;  and  upon  the  altar  ten  well  wrought  copper  brace- 
lets encircling  some  calcined  bones,  conveying  the  idea  that  the  body  had 
been  cremated. 

Another  mound  No.  10,  in  the  same  enclosure,  has  two  sand  strata,  but 
instead  of  an  altar  there  are  two  layers  of  discs  chipped  out  of  stone.  They 
were  placed  side  by  side,  a  little  inclining  and  one  resting  a  little  above  the 
other.  Out  of  an  excavation  of  6  feet  long  by  4  feet  wide,  not  far  from  600 
were  thrown.  Supposing  it  to  be  square  we  have  not  far  from  4,000  of  these 
discs  represented  here. 

It  should  be  remarked  that  while  all  these  have  the  same  general  fea- 
tures, no  two  are  alike  in  the  size  and  shape  of  their  altars,  or  character  of 
the  deposit  made  on  them.      One  mound  covers  a  deposit  made  almost  en 
tirely  of  pipes;  another  of  spear  heads  or  of  galena,  or  calcined  shells  or 
bones. 

We  pass  from  this  region  to  the  stone  graves  of  Tennessee. 
These  bring  us  into  contact  with  another  class  of  mounds,  and 
another  race  or  tribe  of  people.  Gen.  Gates  P.  Thruston  is  an 
authorit)'  on  this  subject. 

The  examination  of  the  stone  graves  in  Kentucky  and  Ten- 
nessee, confirms  what  has  been  said  about  distinct  races  having 
existed  in  the  Mississippi  valley.     He  says: 

"They  present  unmistakable  evidence  of  a  state  of  society  above  the 
social  condition  of  the  pre-historic  tribes  of  Canada  and  the  northeastern 
states,  including  New  York,  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia.  This  well  recog- 
nized fact  seems  to  separate  the  culture  of  the  Mound  Builders  from  that 
of  the  ancient  tribes  of  the  northeast,  the  Iroquois,  the  Hurons,  and  the  In- 
dians of  the  Algonkin  stock  by  well  defined  lines  of  distinction,  indicating 
that  the  tribes  of  the  north  were  more  nomadic  and  lived  in  a  more 
barbarous  state. 

Unmistakable  evidences  are  also  presented  in  the  preceding  pages  of 
contact,  intercourse,  or  relationship,  between  the  aborigines  of  the  Missis- 
sippi \'ailev,  and  the  ancient  peoples  of  the  southwest  and  of  the  Pueblo 
districts.  The  similarity  in  the  forms  of  the  crania  fonnd  in  the  ancient 
graves  within  the  mound  area,  and  the  crania  of  the  ancient  inhabitants  of 
Mexico.  Central  America,  Peru  and  the  Pueblos,  suggests  acommon  origin. 
The  broad  headed  or  brachycephalic  type  is  predominant.  It  appears  to 
distinguish  the  cranial  types  of  the  old  peoples  of  ibt-  south  and  southwest 
from  the  long  or  oval  crania  of  the  northern  tribes.  The  short,  broad  skulls 
seem  also  to  have  represented  the  ethnic  tendencies  to.vaid  progress  and 
development  that  characterized  the  ancient  Mexicans  and  the  Indians  of 
the  village  or  semi-village  class." 


i;o 


PRIMITIVE   ARCHITECTURE. 


Prof.   Putnam,  in   speaking  of  tlie   diversity  of  races,  says: 

"We  find  that  the  prevailing  form  of  the  skulls  from  the  older  burial 
places  across  the  northern  portion  of  the  continent,  from  the  Pacific  to  the 
Atlantic,  is  of  the  long,  narrow  type  (dolichocephalic),  while  the  skulls  of 
the  old  peoples  of  Central  America,  Mexico,  and  south-western  and  south- 
ern portions  of  the  United  States,  are  principally  of  the  short,  broad  type 
(brachycephalic),  Following  the  distribution  of  the  long  and  short  skulls,. 
as  they  are  now  found  in  burial  places,  it  is  evident  that  tne  two  forms  have 
spread  in  certain  directions  over  North  America;  the  short,  or  broad-head- 
ed race  of  the  South  spreading  out  toward  the  East  and  Northeast;  while 
the  long,  or  narrow-headed  race  of  the  North  has  sent  its  branches  south- 
ward, down  both  coasts,  and  toward  the  interior,  by  many  lines  from  the 
North,  as  well  as  from  the  East  and  West.  The  two  races  huve  passed  each 
other  here  and  there;  in  other  places  they  have  met;  and,  probably,  no- 
where, is  there  more  marked  evidence  of  this  meeting  than  in  the  Ohio- 
Vallev,  where  have  been  found  burial  places  and  sepulchral  mounds  of 
different  kinds  and  of  different  times." 

Mr.  Thruston  speaks  of  the  art  of  the  stone-grave  people 
as  furnishing  analogues  and  identities  which  connect  the  anti- 
quities of  Tennessee  with  the  ancient  arts  and  industries  of  the 
Mexico  and  Pueblos.     He  says: 

"  The  remarkable  and  mythological  figures  upon  the  shell  gorgets  andi 


SPOOL   ORNAMENTS    FROM    TENNESSEE. 

copper  plates  surely  show  unmistakable  evidences  of  a  Mexican  origin  or- 
affiliation.     The  tube  pipes  from  the   valley  of  the  Cumberland,  the  large 
ear  ornaments,  the  images,  the  idols,  the  grotesque  forms,  the  long  cere- 
monial flints— all  seem  to  connect  the  mound  tribes  with  the  arts,  culture,, 
or  religion  of  the  peoples  of  the  west  and  southwest,  and  to  separate  them, 
from  the  tribes  of  the  north  and  northeast.     The  better  class  of  pottery 
from  the  graves  and  mounds,  and  the  ancient  ware  of  the  Pueblo  districts, 
of  New  Mexico  and  Arizona,  also  show  decided  marks  of  resemblance. 

II.  The  best  proof  that  the  Southern  Mound  Builders  were 
allied  to  the  people  of  the  far  west  and  south-west,is  given  by 
the  shape  of  the  mounds  themselves.  These  are  truncated 
pyramids  and  were  bailt  in  terraces.  The  abodes  of  the  ruling 
classes  were  upon  the  upper  platform,  and  were  built  around  a 
hollow  court  exactly  as  they  were  among  the  Pueblos  of  the 
west  and  the  ruined  cities  of  the  south-west,  especially  at 
Palenque.  This  is  not  a  mere  co-incidence  nor  was  it 
the  result  of  the  physical  surroundings,  as  has  been  main- 
tained but  was  an  ethnic  style.  The  same  form  of  construc- 
tion was  peculiar  to  the  Nahua  stock  and  all  who  de- 
scended from  them.  These  pyramid  mounds  differ 
from   the  villages  of   the  northern    tribes  where  the    enclos- 


COPPER    EAGLE    FROM    ETOWAH    MOUND. 


EAGLE  MAN  FROM  ETOWAH  MOUND. 


THE   RACE    QUESTION. 


178 


ures  are  full  of  mounds  and  burial  places,  lodge  circles,  hearths, 
and  stone  graves,  which  show  that  they  were  occupied  for  a 
long  time.  The  skulls  that  have  been  found  in  the  mounds 
show  that  they  were  occupied  by  different  races — an  earlier 
and  later.  The  swamp  villages  were  fortified  by  walls  which 
surrounded  the  enclosure,  and  were  at  the  same  time  protected 
by  the  isolated  position  of  the  villages  upon  the  ridges. 

The  evidence  is  that  the  Ohio  River  was  the  dividing- 
line  between  two  classes  of  Mound-Builders — the  northern  and 
the  southern.  But  it  was  also  the  line  of  migration  for  eastern 
tribes  to  the  west,  and  for  western  tribes  to  the  east.  A  suc- 
cession of  tribes,  is  also  shown  by  the  relics  and  the  works. 
All  the  tribes  are  supposed  to  have  occupied  villages,  which 
were  surrounded  with  earth  walls.  They  had  also  burial  mounds, 
which  were  connected  with  the  \illages;  though  it  is  uncertain 
whether  they  were  house  burials,  or  what  may  be  called  clan 


Double  Mound  near  Chillicothe. 

burials.  The  difference  between  th6m  consisted  in  the  fact  that 
single  families  might  deposit  their  dead  in  the  very  spot  occu- 
pied by  their  houses,  but  in  case  of  clan-burials  there  would  be 
a  common  burial  place  for  all  the  members  of  the  clan. 

In  reference  to  this  question,  recent  explorations  have  re- 
vealed the  fact  that  certain  mounds  contain  the  remains  of 
houses,  situated  at  the  level  of  the  ground  or  lower,  and  were 
used  for  the  burial  of  several  persons,  with  such  relics  as  were 
in  common  use,  including  those  used  for  personal  ornaments, 
as  well  as  those  for  domestic  purposes;  while  at  a  higher  level 
bodies  were  deposited  in  the  ground  without  any  structure  over 
them,  yet  very  similar  relics  were  deposited  at  their  side.  One 
such  mound  has  recently  been  described  by  Mr.  W.  C.  Mills, 
which  seems  to  have  been  built  at  different  times. 

This  mound  was  built  over  a  mound,  the  shape  of  the  original 
mound  being  retained,  but  the  latter  mound  arose  to  a  greater 


174 


PREHISTORIC    MONUMENTS. 


height  and  extended  to  either  side.  The  upper  mound  con- 
tained similar  relics,  but  there  were  no  traces  of  the  house  in 
it,  or  even  of  a  hearth. 

It  is  worthy  of.  notice  that  the  mounds  of  Tennessee  con- 
tained stone  graves,  which  were  so  arranged  as  to  resemble  a 
conical  hut,  the  bodies  being  placed  in  the  graves  with  the 
relics,  but  the  space  in  the  center  was  left  as  if  designed  for  the 
central  fire.  The  superstition  of  the  people  was  that  the  fire 
continued  to  burn,  and  that  the  burial  mound  continued  te  be 
the  abode  of  the  spirits  of  the  dead.  The  relics  found  in  these 
stone  graves  of  Tennessee  resemble,  in  some  respects,  those 
found  in  the  Ohio  Valley,  but  there  was  a  symbolism  in  them, 
which  shows  that  there  was  a  different  religious  system  pre- 
vailing in  the  two  sections.  The  symbols  show  that  there  was  a 
recognition  of  the  revolving  sky,  as  well  as  the  bird,  the  serpent, 
and  the  various  animal  divinities;  this  would  naturally  suggest 
that  among  the  Southern   Mound-Builders  there  was  a  higher 


Succession  of  Burials  in  the  Adena  Mound. 

state    of  civilization   and  a   different  form  of  religious  belief. 

The  same  thing  is  proved  by  the  relics  discovered  near  the 
Etowah  Mound.  Some  of  these  relics  consisted  of  copper 
plates,  which  have  been  hammered  or  swedged,  so  as  to  present 
human  forms  with  wings  protruding  from  the  shoulders,  having 
masks  on  their  faces,  like  beaks  of  birds;  ornaments  extending" 
from  the  head,  like  the  double-bladed  axe  so  common  in  the 
regions  of  the  far  East,  and  carrying  in  their  hands  a  mace  on 
which  was  a  figure  of  the  cross  and  other  symbols.  In  the 
same  mound  was  found  a  copper  plate,  with  an  eagle  stamped 
upon  it,  the  shape  suggesting  that  it  was  used  as  the  symbol  of 
divinity. 

In  reference  to  all  the  relics  found  in  the  stone  graves, 
near  the  Etowah  Mounds,  we  may  say  that  they  resemble  those 
found  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Cahokia  Mound  and  as  far 
west  as  the  mounds  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas.  But  those  found 
in  the  Ohio  mounds  are  of  quite  a  different  character. 


THE  RACE  QUESTION.  175 

III.  The  same  thing  is  proved  by  the  shape  of  the  mounds 
We  have  seen  that  in  Ohio  the  large  majority  of  the  burial 
mounds  were  hemispherical,  and  that  the  earth  walls  were  in 
the  form  of  circles  and  squares,  and  occasionally  crescents,  yet 
they  formed  village  enclosures.  This  suggests  the  thought  that 
the  village  enclosures  themselves  were  made  to  represent  the 
symbols  which  were  common  and  well  known  to  the  people, 
and  that  there  was  a  sense  of  security  and  of  sacredness  con- 
nected with  them.  All  the  processes  of  social  life  were  con- 
ducted under  the  direction  of  religious  leaders,  and  embodied 
the  religious  beliefs  of  the  people.  If  we  take,  then,  the  works 
and  relics  found  in  the  Ohio  Valley  and  compare  them  with 
those  common  in  the  Gulf  States,  we  shall  find  a  great  contrast. 

The  pyramids  show  that  the  villages  were  built  by  those 
who  were  subject  to  the  authority  of  chiefs,  and  who  worked 
in  masses  under  the  control  of  a  few  master  minds.  The 
scarcity  of  burial  mounds  show  that  the  bodies  were  preserved 
in  dead  houses,  and  were  afterwards  subject  to  "  bone  burials," 
or  were  cremated.  The  absence  of  walls  show  that  they  were 
a  peaceable,  agricultural  people,  who  erected  pyramids  a?  the 
abodes  of  their  chiefs.  These  pyramids  were  arranged  in 
clusters  and  were  surrounded  by  artificial  ponds  called  fish 
preserves,  but  were  generally  situated  upon  the  banks  of  some 
stream.  They  were  often  built  upon  the  bottom  lands,  where 
the  soil  was  fertile,  but  sometimes  upon  the  hill  tops.  Those 
on  the  low  lands  are  supposed  to  have  been  erected  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  chiefs,  priests,  and  elders,  or  the  ruling 
classes,  but  were  also  used  as  places  of  refuge,  by  all  the  vil- 
lagers, in  the  time  when  the  freshets  flooded  the  bottom  lands. 
This  is  the  best  explanation  which  can  be  given  of  the  pyr- 
midal  mounds  which  are  found  on  the  Great  American  Bottom, 
opposite  St.  Louis.  Here,  there  are  about  sixty  high  pyramids. 
They  are  arranged  in  parallel  lines,  some  of  them  in  pairs,  with 
small  ponds  or  excavations  near  them.  The  great  mound 
called  Cahokia  Mound  has  often  been  described.  It  covered 
sixteen  acres  of  land,  and  was  about  ninety  feet  high.  It  is 
surrounded  by  rich  fields,  in  which  are  an  immense  number  of 
relics,  especially  pottery  vessels,  and  vast  quantities  of  bones 
have  been  exhumed.     Mr.  J.  M.  Brackenridge  says  of  this  : 

There  is  no  spot  in  the  western  country  capable  of  being  more  highly 
cultivated,  or  giving  support  to  a  more  numerous  population  than  this  val- 
ley. If  any  vestige  of  an  ancient  population  could  be  found,  this  would  be 
the  place  to  search  for  it.  The  great  number  of  mounds  and  the  astonish- 
ing quantity  of  human  bones  dug  up  everywhere,  or  found  on  the  surface, 
with  a  thousand  other  appearances,  announce  that  this  valley  was  at  one 
time  filled  with  inhabitants  and  villages.  The  whole  face  of  the  bluff  which 
bounds  it  on  the  east,  appears  to  have  been  a  continued  burying  ground. 
But  the  most  remarkable  appearances  are  the  two  groups  of  mounds  or 
pyramids  themselves:  one  about  two  miles  above  Cahokia  (a  village  nearly 
extinct),  the  other  nearly  the  same  distance  below  it.  At  a  distance,  they 
resemble  enormous  hay-stacks  scattered  through  a  meadow.  One  of  the 
largest,  which  I  ascended,  was  about  two  hundred  paces  in  circumference 


176 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


at  the  bottom.  The  form  was  nearly  square,  though  it  had  evidently  under- 
gone some  alterations  by  the  washings  of  the  rains.  The  top  was  level, 
with  an  area  sufftcient  to  contain  several  hundred  men.  The  prospect  from 
the  mound  was  very  beautiful.  Looking  toward  the  bluffs,  which  are  dimly 
seen  at  a  distance  of  six  or  eight  miles,  the  bottoms  at  this  place  being  very 
widC:  I  had  a  level  plain  before  me,  bounded  by  islets  of  wood  and  a  few 
solitary  trees;  to  the  right  (the  south),  the  prairie  is  bounded  by  the  horizon; 
to  the  left,  the  course  of  the  Cahokia  River  may  be  distinguished  by  the 
margin  of  wood  upon  its  banks.  Around  me  I  counted  forty-five  mounds 
or  pyramids,  beside  a  great  number  of  small,  airtificial  elevations.  These 
mounds  cover  more  than  a  mile  in  extent,  to  the  open  space  on  the  river. 

This  description  by  Mr.  Brackenridge  was  written  in  i8ii, 
and  gives  the  impressions  which  were  formed  upon  his  mind, 
as  he  looked  upon  them  in  their  undisturbed  state.     Since   his 


Cahokui  Mound  Restored. 

time,  the  entire  bottom  land,  which  is  called  the  Great  Ameri- 
can Bottom,  has  been  filled  with  an  industrious  population. 
The  mounds  have  been  taken  for  building  sites,  and  are  now 
covered  with  houses,  barns  and  kitchen  gardens.  The  sum- 
mits, when  partially  leveled,  are  large  enough  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  a  first-class  farmer's  abode.  There  are  sixty- 
five  of  these  mounds  within  a  space  of  two  miles.  All  of  them 
are  arranged  on  either  side  of  the  wide  roadway,  which  leads 
from  the  bluff  to  the  banks  of  the  river.  The  Great  Mound 
stands  by  itself,  like  a  giant,  in  the  midst  of  the  plain — over- 


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THE  RACK  QUESTION.  177 

topping  the  other  mounds;  while  the  farm  house  by  its  side 
looks  like  a  little  bird  cottage,  so  great  is  the  contrast  between 
the  prehistoric  and  the  historic  structures. 

These  truncated  pyramids  were  evidently  used  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  village  chiefs,  and  were  surrounded  by 
the  huts  of  the  common  people.  The  number  of  them  shows 
that  a  large  population  had  concentrated  here. 

Mr.  Brackenridge  speaks  of  the  two  mounds  in  the  distance 
on  the  bluff.  One  of  these  is  called  Sugar  Loaf.  It  was  evi- 
dently used  as  a  look-out,  as  it  commands  an  extensive  view. 
So  favorable  was  this  mound  for  an  observatory,  that  the  Coast 
Survey  took  advantage  of  it,  and  made  it  a  station  for  triangu- 
lating. Our  conclusion  is  that  here,  opposite  the  mouth  of  the 
Missouri,  a  people  resembling  the  race  of  Southern  Mound- 
Builders  once  made  their  home,  and  carried  on  agriculture  in 
the  midst  of  this  rich  bottom  land,  but  built  the  pyramids  as 
the  abode  of  the  ruling  classes  and  a  refuge  for  the  people  in 
the  time  of  high  water. 

The  same  impression  is  formed  by  the  group  on  the  bluff  at 
St.  Louis.  It  is  fully  as  interesting  as  that  at  Cahokia.  The 
peculiarities  of  the  group  were  as  follows:  First,  they  were 
arranged  in  a  line  on  the  second  terrace,  overlooking  the  bot- 
tom lands  and  the  river,  but  at  a  height  so  as  to  be  free  from 
any  over-flow;  second,  there  was  in  the  center  of  the  line  a 
group,  which  was  in  the  form  of  an  amphitheater,  the  back 
part  forming  a  graceful  curve,  but  the  front  part  flanked  by  a 
pyramid  on  one  side,  and  the  "  falling  gardens"  on  the  other; 
third,  the  mound,  called  "  Falling  Gardens,"  was  terraced,  the 
terraces  all  on  the  east  and  so  situated  as  to  give  a  good  view 
of  the  river;  fourth,  the  big  mound  was  located  at  the  extreme 
north  of  the  line,  and  was  connected  with  the  group  by  a  series 
of  irregular  pyramids,  all  of  them  on  high  ground.  The 
arrangement  of  the  mounds  about  a  hollow  square  or  open 
area  is  significant,  for  it  is  the  arrangement  which  is  very  com- 
mon among  nearly  all  the  groups  scattered  through  the  Gulf 
States.  It  indicates  that  the  pyramids  were  built  for  the 
accommodation  of  the  village  chiefs;  the  large  mounds  for 
their  abodes,  and  the  open  area  in  the  center  of  the  pyramids 
as  the  assembly  place  for  the  entire  village. 

There  are  many  pyramid  mounds  resembling  those  at 
Ca'iokia  scattered  along  the  Mississippi  River,  from  St.  Louis 
to  New  Orleans;  some  of  them  on  the  bluffs  overlooking  the 
river,  others  on  the  bottom  lands;  all  of  which  give  the  im- 
pression that  they,  who  built  them,  were  an  agricultural  people 
and  in  the  habit  of  cultivating  the  bottom  lands  near  the  largest 
streams.  But  they  built  the  pyramids  to  such  a  height  as  to 
escape  the  high  water. 

There  is  a  truncated  pyramid,  resembling  the  one  at  Cahokia, 
near  Pine  Bluff,  in  Jefferson  County.  Arkansas.  It  is  repre- 
sented in  the  plate.     It  is  60  feet  high;  its  top,  which  is  flat,  is 


178 


PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 


144  feet  long  by  1 10  feet  in  wid^h,  and  has  a  terrace  at  one  side 
similar  to  that  at  Cahokia.  There  is  also  a  large  excavation 
near  it,  from  which  the  earth  was  taken  for  its  construction. 

There  is  in  Pulaski  Count>',  Arkansas,  a  group  of  mounds 
and  earthworks,  called  the  "  Knapp  Mounds,"  which  is  worthy 
of  attention,  as  they  are  surrounded  by  a  large  earth-wall,  and 
are  situated  upon  the  bank  of  a  lake,  and  give  every  evidence 
of  having  been  occupied  as  a  village  site.  A  description  is 
furnished  by  Dr.  Thomas  in  his  report  for  1890-91,  which  is  as- 
follows: 

The  lake  is  three  miles  long^,  and  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide.  The 
field  in  which  the  group  is  situated,  is  frcim  two  to  eij^ht  feet  above  the 
water  level.  The  surrounding  earth  wall  is  five  or  six  feet  in  heij^ht,  and  a 
little  over  a  mile  in  length.  It  starts  at  the  margin  of  the  lake,  circles 
around  the  field  and  comes  to  the  lake  again  on  the  north  side.  In  1844, 
the  period  of  the  greatest  overflow  known,  these  mounds  were  clear  of 
water;  and  it  is  said  that  many  people  came  here  for  safety,  bringing  their 
lioiisehold  effects  and  stock  with  them.  The  largest  mound  is  forty  feet 
high,  280  feet  long,  and  fifty  feet  wide.    The  summit  is  about  fifty  feet  wide. 


Boat- Shaped  Gorget  and  Atnutets. 

and  ninety  feet  long.  A  second  mound  is  oblong,  and  measures  175  by  200 
feet  at  the  base,  and  80  by  100  feet  on  top,  and  thirty-eight  feet  high.  There 
is  a  large  pond  near  it.  Mounds  lie  to  the  southeast  of  the  larger  one,  the 
largest  of  them,  twelve  feet  high,  100  feet  long,  and  ninety  feet  broad.  In 
four  places  were  patches  of  burnt  clay,  doubtless  the  remains  of  former 
dwellings.  Ten  other  mounds,  circular  in  shape,  ranging  from  two  to  ten 
feet  in  height,  from  25  to  100  feet  in  diameter,  and  40  to  350  feet  in  length; 
all  bearing  evidence  of  having  been  used  for  residences,  as  pottery,  stone 
tools,  and  the  refuse  of  chips  of  stone  work  are  found  associated  with  them. 

IV.  The  relics  found  in  the  mounds  prove  also  that  there 
was  a  great  diversity  among  the  people,  whom  we  call  the 
Mound-Builders,  for  some  of  these  relics  show  a  high  stage 
of  progress;  others,  a  stage  which  was  so  much  lower,  as  to 
indicate  an  entirely  different  social  status,  though  it  is  probable 
that  all  belonged  to  what  Mr.  Morgan  would  call  "  the  upper 
status  of  savagery,  or  the  lower  status  of  barbarism."  The 
question  arises,  whether  these  differences  were  owing  to  differ- 
ent race  qualities,  or  to  the  influence  of  environment? 


THE   RACE  QUESTION. 


179 


The  same  question  arises  when  we  consider  the  material 
used  in  making  the  relics.  It  appears  that  the  Mound  Builders 
as  a  class,  were  in  the  habit  of  using  copper  in  making  a  certain 
class  of  relics,  and  this  fact  would  indicate  that  they  were 
passing  out  of  the  Stone,  into  the  Copper  Age.  This,  how- 
ever, was  not  owing  to  any  race  quality,  nor  does  it  prove  the 
unity  of  the  race;  but  it  does  show  that  there  was  an  abundance 
of  copper,  and  that  it  was  used  in  place  of  stone  for  con- 
venience. 

A  remarkable  fact  is  to  be  mentioned  in  connection  with 
this  subject:  the  Efifigy-Builders  of  Wisconsin  had  the  greatest 
number  of  copper  relics  in  their  possession,  though  they  were 
ordinary  hunters  and  were  in  a  comparatively  low  stage  of 
progress;  while  the  Southern  Mound-Builders,  known  to  be 
agriculturists  and   the  most  adv-nncc d  in  uncial  status,  had  the 


Copper  Bracelet  from  the  .hicna  Mound. 

least  number.  This,  however,  was  owing  to  the  copper  being 
more  abundant  in  the  one  locality  than  in  the  other.  The 
uroximity  of  the  copper  mines  gave  the  advantage  to  the 
i^ffigy  Builders. 

We  may  say  that  the  use  made  of  copper  illustrates  the 
race  tendencies  even  more  than  the  use  of  stone,  for  it  en- 
abled each  race  to  embody  their  ideas  in  material  form,  even 
belter  than  the  stone  did  or  could  do.  This  is  illustrated  by 
the  following  facts:  The  Mound-Builders  of  Ohio,  distant  from 
the  mines,  used  this  metal  mainly  for  personal  ornaments,  such 
as  wristlets,  bracelets,  breastplates,  and  occasionally  for  head- 
pieces, such  as  those  for  holding  plumes. 

Mr.  W.  C.  Mills  discovered  at  the  Adena  Mound  a  large 
number  of  bracelets  made  of  heavy  bands  of  copper,  speci- 
mens of  which  are  seen  in  the  cuts.     These  were  made  of  a 


180 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


Pieje  of  C/cth  from  Ade7ia  Mound. 


rounded  piece,  tapering  to  a  point,  the  ends  over-lapping  each 
other,  around  these  bracelets  was  a  quantity  of  woven  cloth; 
copper  rings  were  also  found,  and  a  piece  of  woven  cloth, 
showing  the  texture;  a  head-dress  made  of  large  strips  of  mica; 
a  perforated  tablet,  and  a  pipe;  a  boat-shaped  gorget  pierced, 

with  two  holes,  with 
strings  through  these, 
holding  the  gorget  to 
the  arm,  as  a  protection 
against  the  bow-string; 
an  ornament  of  shell,  re- 
presenting the  figure  of 
a  raccoon,  was  found  in 
the  same  mound.  Al.^o. 
a  comb,  made'of  the  rib 
bones  of  an  elk;  and  a 
number  of  needles  and 
awls;  all  of  which  show 
that  the  industries  of 
ihe  Mound-Buildershad 
passed  beyond  the 
primitive  stage. 
The  Southern  Mound-Builders  used  copper,  both  for  orna- 
ments and  mechanical  purposes.  Mr.  C.  C.  Jones  has  described 
an  axe,  found  in  a  stone  grave  in  the  Nacoochee  Valley,  nearly 
10  inches  long,  2^4  inches  wide,  and  very  thin.  It  was  marked 
by  an  abrasion  from  the  hand'e,  and  made  of  copper  beaten 
into  its  present  form.  A  Portuguese  narrative  speaks  of 
hatchets,  drawn  bows,  bands  of  copper,  implements  orna- 
mented with  rings  of  pearls,  and  gigantic  wooden  statues 
found  in  the  temple  of  Talomeco. 

A  copper  axe  and  some  copper  rods  or  spindles  were  found 
in  an  ancient  grave  in  the  Etowah  Valley,  and  copper  pendants 
i  n  u  p  p  e  r 
Georgia.  Cop- 
per spool  orna- 
ments and 
other  articles 
of  this  metal 
were  found  in 
the  stone 
graves  of  Ten- 
nessee. Cop- 
per plates 
were  found  in 
Flo  r  i  d  a,  and 

images  with  wings  made  of  beaten  copper  plates,  were  found 
in  a  grave  in  one  of  the  Etowah  Mounds. 

These  copper  relics,  so  widely  distributed,  at  first  thought, 
might   lead  us  to  conclude   that   the    Mcund-Builders  all  be 


Raccoon  Amulet frovi  Adena  Mound. 


THE  RACE  QUESTION. 


181 


longed  to  a  single  race,  with  no  difference  between  them,  but 
they  only  prove  that  there  was  an  extensive  commerce  between 
the  tribes,  that  each  tribe  and  race  followed  its  own  method  in 
the  manufacture  of  the  metal.  The  difference  in  the  uses  shows 
the  difference  in  the  tastes  of  the  peop  e.    It  may  be  that  these 

tastes  came  from  ethnic  causes, 
and  are  really  proofs  of  ethnic 
differences.  This  is  illustrated  by 
the  celt,  which  represents  a  stone 
mace  from  the  stone  graves.  This 
mace  has  exactly  the  same  shape 
as  the  one  held  in  the  hand  of 
the  dancing  figures. 

There  is  another  proof,  more 
forcible  than  the  use  of  copper. 
It  comes  from  the  portrait  pipes 
and  the  pottery  images  found 
scattered  over  the  territory  of 
the  Mound-Builders.  These  pipes 
are  more  numerous  in  the  valley 
of  the  Ohio,  and  in  the  stone 
graves  of  Tennessee.  And  in  each 
locality,  they  seem  to  be  designed 
to  portray  the  features  of  the  per- 
sons that  were  living  there.  This 
will  be  referred  to  further  in  con- 
nection with  the  pottery,  but  the 
testimony  is  valuable  and  perti- 
nent. 

These  images  are  very  inter- 
esting as  objects  of  study,  as  they 
furnish  an  idea  as  to  the  different 
types  of  faces  common  among  the 
prehistoric  people.  We  notice 
that  some  of  the  faces  which  are 
portrayed  on  the  pipes,  especially 
those  found  in  New  York  and 
Canada,  have  features  like  those 
of  the  white  man,  and  occasion- 
ally the  features  of  the  Chinaman; 
but  the  majority  show  the  features 
of  the  Indians  of  different  tribes. 
The  question  'arises,  how  these 
faces  came  to  be  so  diverse,  if  the 
people  all  belonged  to  one  race?  The  answer  might  be 
given  by  some,  that  they  were  not  designed  as  portraits,  but 
that  the  differences  were  owing  to  accident,  rather  than  intent. 
But  this  answer  is  not  satisfactory,  for  we  know  that  the  pre- 
historic people  were  great  imitators. 

It  is  true  that  there  are  more  of  these  portrait  pipes  among 


r- 


Stone  Mace  from  the  Stone 
Graves, 


182 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


Sctilptnrcd  Head  frofu  the 
Ohio  Mounds. 


the  stone  graves  than  in  any  other 
locality,  but  this  only  confirms  the 
position  taken  by  many  explorers  in 
reference  to  the  stone  grave  people, 
namely,  that  there  were  different 
races  represented  among  them;  a 
position  that  was  taken  from  a  'study 
of  the  skulls,  rather  than  of  the 
relics.  It  is  well 
known  that  the 
many  southern 
tribes  had  the 
.1  habit  -of  flatten- 
ing the  forehead 
by  artificial  press- 
ure, and  the  result 
was  that  the  skulls 
were  abnormal  in 
shape.  Mr.  C.  C. 
Jones  has  spoken 
of  this  and  given 
a  plate  represent- 


,  1     n       i.-        Pottery    Portrait 

mg    the     skull    of  j^om  a  Stone   Grave. 
a  Mound-Builder, 
as  compared  with  that  of   a  modern  Indian,  buried  on  the  the 
side  of  a  mound,  only  a  few  feet  away.     He  says:  "The  Flat- 
head     Mound  -  Builders    may 
have    been    a    colony    of    the 
Natchez,     journeying      hitl  tr 
from  their  habitat  on  the  banks 
of   the  Mississippi    River." 

The  fact  is  that  the  Creeks, 
Choctaws,  Chickasaws,  and 
many  other  southern  tribes, 
flattened  their  heads  by  arti- 
ficial means,  as  well  as  the 
Natchez.  And  it  is  probable 
that  the  idols  and  pottery 
portraits  found  in  the  stone 
graves  and  the  mounds  of  the 
Gulf  States,  represent  the  fea- 
tures of  these  tribes,  as  they 
were  in  prehistoric  times.  We 
shall  reproduce  some  of  these 
portraits  at  the  present  time 
to  illustrate  the  point.  Let  us 
take  the  portrait  pipes  and 
compare  them  with  one  an- 
other, and  then  take  the  two  maps  which  represent  the  loca- 
tion of  the  tribes  and  the  distribution  of  the  relics.     It  will  be 


Pottery  Pipe  from  the  Gulf  States. 


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3.CHARACTERISTIC  WORKS, 


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THE  RACE  QUESTION. 


185 


found  that  each  had  its  own  mode  of  burial,  its  own  style  of 
art,  and  its  own  mode  of  decorating  the  person,  and  its  own 
peculiar  cast  of  countenance.  Thus  showing  that,  instead  of  a 
unit}',  there  was  a  great  diversity'.  The  most  remarkable  thing 
is  that  the  faces  represented  in  the  pipes  and  pottery  portraits 
from  the  Southern  States  is  exactly  the  same  as  that  which 
may  be  seen  in  the  carved  columns  of  Central  Anierica;  the 
low  retreating  forehead,  the  large  nose,  and  the  thick  lips"  be- 
ing remarkable  signs  in  each  locality. 

There  is  so  great  a  resemblance  among  the  features  repre- 
sented in  these  artifacts,  as  well  as  in  the  skulls  exhumed  from 


-} 


'A 


Inscribed  Tablet  from  an  Ohio  Mound. 

the  stone  graves  and  the  mounds  of  the  Gulf  States,  that  many 
have  been  led  to  the  opinion  that  there  were  at  least  two  differ- 
ent races  mingled  together  in  this  region  in  prehistoric  times, 
exactly  as  they  were  in  the  Ohio  Valley;  one  of  which  belonged 
to  the  Northern,  the  other,  to  the  Southern  type.  " 

The  inscribed  tablets  may  also  be  referred  to,  as  illustrating 
the  same  point.  The  most  of  these  tablets  have  been  dis- 
covered in  the  Ohio  mounds;  one  of  which  is  represented 
in  the  cut.  Another,  called  the  "Guest  Tablet,"  resembles 
this  in   many   respects.     Both    of    them    represent    a    human- 


184  PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 

ized  tree  in  combination  with  the  serpent  symbol.  It 
should  be  stated  here,  that  humanized  trees  are  very  common 
in  Asia,  and  the  fact  that  they  are  found  iu  the  mounds  would 
indicate  that  the  Mound-Builders  were  in  some  way  connected 
with  Asiatic  races. 

V.  The  study  of  languages  and  migration  legends  leads 
to  the  same  conclusion.  Mr.  Gallatin,  Dr.  Brinton  and  Mr.  A. 
S.  Gatchet  have  demonstrated  from  the  aboriginal  names  of 
persons,  places  and  things  mentioned  by  the  narrators  of 
De  Soto's  expedition,  that  the  tribes  then  inhabiting  the 
region  were  the  Muscogees.  The  latter  have  a  tradition  that 
they  came  from  the  west,  led  by  the  sacred  pole,  and.  settled 
east  of  the  Mississippi  River  at  an  early  date.  The  chief  seats 
of  power  were  upon  the  various  rivers,  and  were  marked  by 
mounds.  Dr.  Brinton  held  with  Dr.  Horatio  Hale,  that  the 
Dakotas  went  from  the  Atlantic  coast  westward  to  the  Misis- 
sippi  River;  that  America  was  peopled  during  the  great  Ice 
Age,  and  that  the  first  settlers  came  from  Europe  by  land 
connection  over  the  northern  Atlantic  but  that  their  long  and 
isolated  residence  on  this  continent  had  moulded  them  into  a 
singularly  homogeneous  race. 

But  the  important  fact  is  to  be  borne  in  mind,  that  those 
who  have  carried  their  studies  on  the  Pacific  slope,  have 
reached  the  opposite  conclusion,  viz.:  that  the  continent  was 
peopled  from  Asia,  rather  than  from  Europe.  While  those 
who  have  studied  the  Mound-Builders  and  their  works,  hold 
that  there  were  two  races  and  that  they  met  in  the  Mississippi 
Valley  and  never  lost  their  characteristics.  While  the  pipe 
from  Georgia  represents  a  person  with  flattened  forehead,  large 
nose,  and  thick  lips. 

Another  inference  has  been  drawn  from  the  same  data, 
viz. :  that  the  Southern  Mound  Builders  belonged  to  the  Malay 
race,  but  the  Northern  Mound-Builders  belonged  to  the  Mon- 
golian race.  This  is  an  inference  first  advanced  by  Squier  and 
Davis,  but  was  adopted  by  others,  especially  those  familiar 
with  the  civilized  tribes  of  the  Southwest,  and  it  is  still  worthy 
ot  consideration,  though  few  are  prepared  to  take  the  ground 
at  present. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND  BUILDERS.  185 


CHAPTER  XI. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

One  of  the  chief  things  impressed  upon  us  by  the  study  ot 
the  Mound-builders'  works  is  the  peculiar  method  of  defense 
which  prevailed  among  them.  This  method  was,  to  be  sure, 
one  which  they  held  in  common  with  all  other  prehistoric  races, 
but  it  was  in  strong  contrast  with  all  that  have  ever  existed  in 
historic  times. 

We   may  imagine  that  their  fortifications  are   like    those  of 
modern  times,  but  when  we  come  to  consider  them  more  closely 
we  find  them  entirely  different.     A  few  words   in   reference  to 
these  differences  will  be  in  place  here. 

1.  The  people  to  be  defended. — The  picture  before  us  is  not 
that  of  a  nation  occupying  a  continent,  nor  of  a  people  filling  a 
State,  nor  a  community  occupying  a  township,  but  it  is  of  a  tribe 
occuping  a  river  valley,  or  of  a  clan  occupying  a  limited  district. 
The  clan  was  the  unit  of  society.  Each  clan  had  its  own  burial 
place,  its  own  place  of  religious  assembly,  its  own  chief,  and  we 
may  suppose  also  its  own  stronghold.  The  method  of  defense 
was  for  the  clans  to  gather  and  make  common  cause,  the  tribe 
itself  being  only  a  combination  of  clans. 

2.  The  class  chosen  to  be  defenders. — The  Mound-builders 
never  attained  to  the  modern  method  of  employing  a  distinct 
military  class  for  defense.  There  were  no  different  classes  among 
them,  and  scarcely  any  division  of  labor.  All  followed  the  same 
general  mode  of  life,  were  either  fishermen,  or  hunters,  or  agri- 
culturists, the  means  of  subsistence  being  common  to  all,  and 
the  responsibility  of  defense  being  shared  by  all.  This  condi- 
tion of  things  secured  safety  to  the  people.  They  all  were  or- 
ganized into  clans,  but  the  organization  was  such  that  every 
young  man,  when  he  was  initiated  into  the  clan,  became  a  war- 
rior. They  became  a  race  of  warriors  by  this  means.  The 
obligation  to  defend  the  clan  was  made  a  condition  of  member- 
ship. It  has  placed  this  duty  before  that  of  securing  subsistence. 
The  government  was  based  on  this  system.  There  was  a  village 
government  as  well  as  a  tribal  one,  each  village  having  its  own 
chief  and  its  own  council  house. 

3.  The  extent  of  territory  defended. — The  Mound-builders 
occupied  the  Mississippi  Valley,  and  their  defenses  are  scattered 
over  the  whole  region,  every  part  of  it  giving  evidence  not  only 


186  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS 

of  an  extensive  signal  system,  but  of  fortifications  as  well.  Still. 
so  far  as  can  be  ascertained,  the  system  of  defense  which,  while 
it  embraced  this  entire  valley,  was  one  which  was  divided  and 
adapted  to  limited  districts.  There  are,  to  be  sure,  evidences 
that  confederacies  existed  among  the  Mound-builders  Where 
these  prevailed  the  system  of  defense  extended  over  compara- 
tively large  districts,  districts  which,  in  some  cases,  cover  the 
half  of  a  modern  State.  As  a  general  thing  the  territory  was 
more  limited  than  this.  It  was  the  tribal  territory  that  was  de- 
fended. The  village  was,  to  be  sure,  the  clan  abode,  and  this  must 
be  defended  first,  but  the  clans  were  organized  into  tribes,  and  so 
the  system  of  defense  embraced  the  habitat  of  the  tribe. 

4.  The  means  of  defense  are  in  contrast.  These  differ  even  in 
historic  times.  In  modern  days  the  forts  are  the  main  source  ot 
protection.  The  entire  people  are  defended  by  the  forts.  The 
mediaeval  method  was  to  make  the  walled  towns  the  chief  source 
of  protection,  the  castle  being  the  dwelling  place  of  the  feudal 
despot.  The  ancient  method  was  to  surround  the  cities  with 
walls  and  to  make  the  citadels  the  chief  source  of  protection. 
The  prehistoric  method  was  to  make  the  village  the  permanent 
residence,  depending  on  the  clan  organization  as  the  main  source 
of  protecttion.  The  clan  dwelt  in  the  villages,  and  some- 
times protected  these  with  walls  and  sometimes  left  them  without 
walls.  Their  chief  defense  seem  sto  have  been  in  the  forts.  Were 
they  clan  forts  or  tribal  forts?  The  probability  is  that  they  were 
the  latter.  They  were  placed  in  the  midst  of  the  villages  for  the 
protection  of  the  clan  as  well  as  the  tribe. 

5.  The  location  is  to  be  considered.  We  have  divided  the 
Mound-builders'  territory  into  different  districts.  The  method  of 
defense  varied  according  to  the  location.  In  the  northern  re- 
gions the  wilder  and  more  uncivilized  races  dwelt.  These  erected 
stockades  resembling  Caesar's  Forts,  built  in  the  forests  of  Gaul. 
In  the  central  regions  were  the  agriculturists.  These  lived  in 
walled  villages  resembling  those  of  mediaeval  times,  their  fortifi- 
cations resembling  castles.  In  the  southern  districts  we  find  the 
system  of  pyramids,  which  resembled  those  of  the  ancient  peo- 
ple of  the  East,  especially  the  Assyrian  and  Chaldean.  On  these 
pyramids  the  chiefs  had  their  residence,  and  found  protection  in 
their  height.  The  Mound-builders'  defenses  embraced  a  great 
variety,  if  we  take  the  different  districts  into  account,  and  yet  there 
was  a  resemblance  between  them. 

6.  The  stage  of  progress  prevalent  among  the  Mound-builders 
is  another  element  of  difference.  We  may  draw  a  parallel  between 
the  historic  and  prehistoric  ages,  locating  the  different  grades 
in  different  belts  of  latitude,  recognizing  the  stages  of  progress 
as  we  cross  these  belts.  The  defensive  system  is,  however,  very 
different.  This  system  depended  largely  upon  the  condition  of 
the  people.     There  was  never  any  such  protection  as  that  given 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  187 

by  the  ancient  cities.     We  must  judge  the  two  periods  by  differ 
ent  standards. 

7.  The  religious  system  is  perhaps  the  chief  element  of  con- 
trast. We  shall  find  that  religion  was  a  prominent  factor  in  the 
defenses  of  the  Mound-builders,  superstition  being  as  powerful 
among  them  as  among  the  modern  savages.  We  can  not  omit 
the  element  of  religion  from  prehistortc  races. 

With  these  few  remarks  we  now  proceed  to  the  study  ot  the 
different  methods  of  defense  among  the  Mound-builders. 

I.  The  first  method  to  which  we  shall  call  attention  is  that 
which  appears  in  the  extensive  signal  and  observatory  stations. 
We  have  already  called  attention  to  this  system  in  the  chapter 
on  burial  mounds.     We  will  now  consider  it  more  especially  in 
connection  with  village  life.     The  fact  is  that  a  system  of  signals 
by  which  the  villages  could  communicate  with  one  another,  and 
through  which  the  people  could  be  aroused  to  the  sense  of  danger, 
everywhere  existed.     The  extent  of  this  signal  system  was,  of 
course,  dependent  upon  the  extent  ot  the  tribe  or  confederacy. 
In  some  cases   the   system   would   be  limited  to  the  valley  of  a 
single   river,  or  perhaps   to   a  portion  of  the  valley.     In  other 
cases   it   would   extend   across   the   country  from  one  river  to 
another,     In  a  few  cases  the  signal  system  extended  even  beyond 
these  limits,  and  may  be  supposed  to  have  reached  out  till  it 
covered  the  whole  country  with  a  network  of  beacons  and  sig- 
nals.    The  defense  which  this  system  gave  to  the  Mound-builders 
can   not   be   over  estimated.     The   people   may   have   dwelt  in 
villages.     Many  of  the  villages  were  situated  upon  low  ground, 
but  the  signal  stations  were  so  placed  upon  the  high  points  sur- 
rounding them  that  there  was  a  constant  outlook,  and  the  pro- 
tection covered  a  large  region  of  country, 

I.  We  notice  that  this  system  was  common  among  all  the 
tribes  of  Indians.  We  have  the  testimony  of  explorers  that  it 
was  very  common  in  the  far  west.  We  present  a  few  cuts  which 
are  taken  from  the  reports  of  the  Ethnological  Bureau,  and 
would  refer  to  the  remarks  of  Col.  Garrett  Mallery,  Dr.  W.  J. 
Hoffman,  W.  H.  Holmes  and  others.  It  appears  that  one  method 
of  signalling  a  village  was  to  place  a  horseman  on  an  eminence 
so  that  he  could  be  seen  in  all  directions.  The  horseman  had  a 
way  of  riding  in  a  circle,  and  the  sign  was  easily  understood. 
The  plate  illustrates  this,  for  here  the  horseman  is  on  the  hill 
and  the  village  is  in  the  valley,  and  the  attacking  party  approach- 
ing from  a  distance.  See  Plate  I.  Another  method  is  to  build 
fires  upon  prominent  points,  so  that  the  smoke  could  be  seen  by 
day  or  the  flame  by  night,  and  the  warning  be  given  in  this 
way.  This  is  illustrated  by  Plate  II.  This  particular  cut  shows 
the  signal  which  was  given  to  convey  tidings  of  victory,  but 
similar  signals  were  given  also  as  warnings.  The  natives  have 
a  method  of  signaling  by  fire,  which  is  peculiar  to  themselves. 


188 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


The  Dakotas,  for  instance,  mix  their  combustibles  so  as  to  cause 
different  shades  of  smoke;  using  dried  grass  for  the  hghtest,  and 
pine  leaves  for  the  darkest,  and  a  mixture  for  intermediate  shades. 
These  with  their  manner  of  covering  a  fire  with  their  blankets, 
so  as  to  cause  puffs  of  smoke,  or  of  leaving  the  smoke  to  rise  in 
unbroken  columns,  gave  to  them  a  variety  of  signals.  Some- 
times a  bunch  of  grass  was  tied  to  an  arrow  and  lighted,  and 
shot  into  the  air.  The  tribes  of  the  southwest  signal  by  this 
means.  The  Aztecs  signaled  to  each  other  by  fire  during  the 
siege  of  the  City  of  Mexico. 


Fig.  1. — Hill  Mound  near  Chillicothe. 

There  are  many  signals  among  the  tribes  which  are  used  in 
case  of  victory,  and  others  for  hunting  purposes,  and  still  others 
for  purposes  of  recognition,  but  those  for  defense  are  the  most 
important.  We  give  a  cut  illustrating  the  method  by  which  the 
natives  now  make  signs  to  one  another  for  the  purpose  of  recog- 
nition (see  Plate  III).*  The  same  custom  of  stationing  sentinels 
on  prominent  points  as  lookout  stations,  has  been  long  prev- 
alent. Circles  of  stones  are  often  found  upon  elevated  points 
of  land,  where  a  good  view  of  the  surrounding  country  can  be 
obtained.  These  circles  are  comifion  on  the  Upper  Missouri, 
among  the  Dakotas  in  Arizona,  among  the  Hualpai,  among  the 
Pah  Utes  of  Nevada,  in  the  Sho-Shonee  country,  in  Wyoming, 
and  in  many  other  places  of  the  far  west.     Frequently  the  ground 


*These  Plates  are  reproduced  from  Tlie  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  V,  No.  3. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


18» 


around  these  watch  stations  is  literally  covered  with  flint  chip- 
pings,  as  it  was  the  custom  of  the  sentinels  to  spend  their  time  in 
making  bows  and  arrows  while  watching. 

This  signal  system  still  prevails.  It  is  more  prevalent  in  an 
open  country  like  the  plateau  of  the  west,  and  yet  it  probably 
prevailed  in  ancient  times,  in  the  region  east  of  the  mountains. 
Traces  of  it  are  seen  among  the  Mound-builders. 


hr  J.M'  3ruU 


h'iy.  2. — Map  of  ±'orts  on  the  Miunii. 

2.  The  combination  of  signal  mounds  or  observatories  with 
beacons  was  a  common  method  of  defense.  Some  of  these  are 
accompanied  with  vast  quantities  of  ashes,  showing  that  beacon 
fires  were  long  kept  burning.  In  one  case  the  ashes  were  thrown 
over  a  steep  embankment,  and  yet  were,  when  discovered,  many 
feet  in  depth.  Many  of  the  burial  mounds  were  used  as  watch 
stations  or  beacons,  and  it  may  be  that  a  double  protection  was 
given  by  them.  These  observatories  or  beacon  mounds  are 
sometimes  placed  on  very  highpoints.f  and  thus  they  command 
the  view  of  other  points  at  a  great  distance.  This  idea  is  given 
by  Dr.  Lapham,  in  connection  with  Lapham's  Peak,  a  high  knoll 

tSee  map  of  Scioto  Valley,  also  of  Miami  Valley  and  of  works  at  Marietta. 


190  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

in  Washington  County,  which  commands  a  very  extensive  pros- 
pect for  miles  in  every  direction.  Dr.  J.  W.  Phene  in  his  visit 
to  this  country  recognized  the  same  in  connection  with  the  great 
serpent  mound  in  Adams  County,  Ohio.  He  states  that  this 
work  is  located  on  an  eminence,  from  which  a  view  can  be  had 
of  Lookout  mountain,  in  Highland  County,  twelve  miles  away. 
The  same  has  been  observed  by  the  author  in  connection  with 
the  works  at  Circleville.  The  great  mound  at  Circkville  was 
sixty  feet  high,  and  commanded  a  view  of  Lookout  niountain, 
twelve  miles  to  the  south  of  it.  On  this  mountain  an  observa- 
tory was  located  which  commanded  a  view  of  the  works  at 
Hopeton,  situated  just  below,  and  the  works  at  Chillicothe, 
several  miles  to  the  south  of  it.  It  is  maintained  by  E.  G, 
Squier,  that  such  a  series  of  lofty  observatories  extend  across 
the  whole  States  of  Ohio,  of  Indiana  and  Illinois,  the  Grave 
Creek  mound  on  the  east,  the  great  mound  at  Vincennes  on  the 
west,  and  the  works  in  Ohio  filling  up  the  line.  Other  persons 
who  have  made  a  study  of  the  works  along  the  Ohio  River  main- 
tain that  there  is  a  series  of  signal  stations  running  up  the 
branches  of  the  rivers,  such  as  the  Scioto,  the  Great  and  Little 
Miami,  the  Wabash,  and  other  rivers,  and  that  all  the  prominent 
works  through  Ohio  and  Indiana  are  connected  by  a  line  of  ob- 
servatories. This  net-work  of  signal  stations  is  interesting  it 
studied  in  connection  with  the  village  enclosures;  as  there  are 
many  scattered  throughout  this  whole  region. 

Here  we  call  attention  to  the  explorations  of  the  Rev.  J.  T. 
McLean,  who  has  described  the  location  of  the  large  mounds  on 
the  Miami  River.  He  has  shown  that  they  were  connected  with 
one  another  and  with  the  forts  and  villages  on  that  river.  See 
Fig.  2.  The  author  has  followed  up  the  subject  and  has  found 
that  a  line  of  signal  stations  extends  from  Fort  Ancient,  on  the 
Little  Miami,  to  the  great  mound  at  Miamisburg,  on  the  Big 
Miami.  The  latter  mound  was  raised  to  the  height  of  sixty-five 
feet,  so  as  to  give  a  chance  to  signal  over  a  range  of  hills  situated 
just  west  of  it.  The  great  mounds  at  Grave  Creek,  at  Marietta, 
at  Chillicothe  and  elsewhere  were  placed  on  prominent  points 
that  they  might  serve  as  signal  stations. 

Dr.  J  C.  Proudfit  has  traced  the  signal  system  along  the  Mis- 
souri River  and  has  shown  that  it  is  very  extensive.  Hon.  C.C. 
Jones  has  traced  them  through  Georgia,  in  the  Southern  States. 
Gen.  G.  P.  Thruston  has  traced  them  through  Tennessee  and  the 
Cumberland  Valley.  Dr.  J.  H.  Baxter  has  traced  them  on  both 
sides  of  the  Ohio  River  from  Cincinnati  to  Louisville.  We  may 
suppose  that  the  system  extended  over  the  entire  Mound-build- 
ers' territory.  It  is  probable  that  nearly  all  the  large  mounds 
were  lookouts,  and  were  essential  factors  in  the  military  system 
of  the  Mound-builders.  The  distinguishing  points  of  the  system 
are  as  follows: 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  191 

3.  A  signal  station  designed  for  defense  is  generally  a  mound 
located  on  a  prominent  point,  in  close  proximity  to  some  village, 
and  is  so  connected  with  other  observatories  that  signals  can 
easily  be  exchanged.  The  signal  stations  on  the  hills  commanded 
other  stations  at  a  great  distance,  so  that  no  enemy  could  come 
within  miles  of  the  spot  without  being  seen.  Such  a  system 
of  outlooks  maybe  seen  surrounding  the  ancient  capital  at  New- 
ark, which  was  singularly  situated  in  the  midst  of  a  natural  am- 
phitheater, while  the  observatories  were  located  on  the  hills  sur- 
rounding. It  has  been  stated  also  that  observatory  mounds  are 
located  on  all  the  hills  in  this  region,  forming  lines  between  this 
center  and  other  prominent  though  distant  points.  A  line  has 
been  partially  traced  from  Mt.  Vernon  to  Newark,  the  large 
mound  in  the  cemetery  at  Mt.  Vernon  being  one  of  the  series. 

On  a  hill  opposite  Chillicothe,  nearly  600  feet  in  height,  the 
loftiest  in  the  entire  region,  one  of  these  signal  mounds  is  placed. 
A  fire  built  upon  this  would  be  distinctly  visible  for  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  up,  and  an  equal  distance  down,  the  valley  of  the 
Scioto,  including  in  its  range  the  Circleville  works,  twenty  miles 
distant,  as  also  for  a  long  way  up  the  broad  valleys  of  the  two 
Paint  Creeks,  both  of  which  abound  in  the  remains  of  ancient 
villages.  In  the  map  of  the  Miami  valley  a  similar  position  ob- 
served, and  similar  mounds  occur  along  the  Wabash,  the  Illinois, 
and  the  upper  Mississippi,  showing  how  extensive  this  signal 
system  was,  at  the  same  time  showing  how  intimately  it  was 
connected  with  the  villages,  ^he  author  has  also,  during  the 
preparation  of  this  paper,  discovered  sites  of  ancient  villages  near 
the  lofty  eminence  called  the  Platte  mounds,  in  Wisconsin,  and 
the  conviction  has  grown  with  the  study  of  the  works  in  all  sec- 
tions of  the  country  that  the  signal  system  was  closely  con- 
nected with  all  the  prominent  points,  and  that  villages  were 
frequently  located  near  these  points  for  the  very  purpose  of  se- 
curing the  defense  offered  by  this  system. 

4.  The  large  conical  mounds  were  used  as  signal  stations. 
It  took  a  long  time  to  finish  one  of  these  conical  mounds.  The 
beacons  or  funeral  fires  may  have  been  kept  burning,  and  so  de- 
fense of  the  living  as  well  as  burial  of  the  dead  was  accomplished 
by  them.  The  fact  that  conical  mounds  were  so  often  placed  upon 
high  points  and  commanded  extensive  views  would  indicate  that 
the  interchange  of  signals  was  very  extensive.  We  have  given 
elsewhere  cuts  of  the  large  conical  mounds  at  Grave  Creek,* 
Marietta,  Miamisburg  and  Vincennes.  These  were  located  near 
ancient  villages  and  were  connected  with  many  other  works.  The 
mound  at  Vincennes  is  only  one  of  a  group  which  surrounds  the 
city,  and  is  said  to  mark  the  site  of  an  ancient  capital.     These 

♦This  point  can  be  seen  in  the  cuts  illustrating  the  articles  on  "Sacred  Enclosures" 
and  "Migrations".  These  cuts  show  how  the  signal  stations  and  the  forts  are  con- 
nected with  the  villages. 


192  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

are,  however,  only  a  few  of  the  many  localities.  In  fact  there  is 
scarcely  a  bluff  along  the  whole  course  of  the  Mississippi  River 
where  some  such  beacon  mound  is  not  found.  The  same  is  true 
on  the  iVIissouri,  the  Ohio,  the  Cumberland,  the  Tennessee,  and 
other  tributaries.  It  is  the  commonest  thing  for  explorers  to 
find  burial  mounds  which  were  used  as  lookout  stations.  It  is 
always  interesting  to  notice  how  skillfully  these  spots  are  chosen 
and  how  extensive  the  views  are  from  them. 

5.  Beacon  fires  were  frequently  lighted  on  the  walls  of  the 
defensive  enclosures,  and  many  elevated  points  within  village 
enclosures  were  used  for  the  purpose  of  signaling  distant  places, 
so  that  we  cannot  confine  the  signal  system  to  mounds  or  iso- 
lated stations,  though  as  a  general  rule  the  signal  system  was 
outside  and  supplementary  to  the  village  enclosure.  For  illus- 
trations of  this  see  Plate  representing  the  hill  fort. 

We  would  refer  here  to  the  fact  that  in  the  ancient  fortification 
at  Bourneville,  O..  there  was  a  rocky  summit  which  overlooked 
a  great  valley  below,  on  which  traces  of  beacon  fires  have  been 
discovered,  and  that  upon  the  walls  of  the  enclosure  at  Fort 
Ancient  traces  of  fire  have  also  been  discovered. 

On  the  other  hand  there  are  many  villages  where  the  location 
of  some  lofty  point  near  by  would  give  great  opportunity  for  ex- 
changing signals  either  by  fire  or  smoke  for  great  distances. 
Many  such  points  are  seen  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 

Messrs.  Squier  and  Davis  mention  the  tact  that  between 
Chillicothe  and  Columbus,  in  Ohio,  not  far  from  twenty  of  these 
points  can  be  selected,  the  stations  so  placed  in  reference  to  each 
other  that  it  is  believed  that  signals  ot  fire  might  be  transmitted 
in  a  few  minutes. 

II.  We  now  turn  to  the  second  method  of  defense.  This 
consisted  in  the  erection  of  stockade  forts.  It  may  be  said  that 
this  was  the  common  method  of  the  wilder  tribes  and  was  pecu- 
liar to  the  northern  class  of  Mound-builders.  There  were  three 
varieties  of  stockades: 

I.  Those  located  on  high  ground,  and  which  were  naturally 
defended  and  needed  only  a  double  wall  across  the  tongue  of 
land  to  protect  this.  This  is  the  simplest  kind  of  a  fort.  Many 
of  them  have  been  seen  and  fully  described  in  the  northern 
part  of  Ohio.*  Col.  C  Whittelsey  has  described  some  of  these. 
They  are  situated  at  Conneaut,  at  Ashtabula,  at  Painesville,  at 
Cleveland,  and  various  places  on  the  Cuyahoga  River,  near  San- 
dusky, on  the  Sandusky  River,  and  at  many  points  along  the 
valleys  of  these  different  streams  which  run  into  Lake  Erie.  We 
call  attention  to  these  works,  as  they  illustrate  the  number  and 

*See  Tract  No.  41,  Western  Reserve  and  Northern  Ohio  Historical  Society,  Ancient 
Earthworks.    Seealso,  Ancient  Earth-Forts  of  the  Cuyahoga  valley,  Ohio,  Cleveland: 
1871.    See  History  of  Ashland  county  by  Dr.  A.  H.  Hill.    See  work  on  Mound-builders 
by  Rev.  I.  T.  McLean,  and  Aboriginal  Monuments  of  Western  New  iork,  by  E.  h, 
Squier. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDEES. 


193 


situation  of  the  works  of  the  late  Indians,  and  also  show  the 
difference  between  their  works  and  those  of  the  Mound-builders. 
It  would  seem  that  a  perfect  network  of  these  defenses  v/as 
spread  over  the  northern  part  of  the  State.  We  give  a  cut  of 
the  fort  at  Newburgh,  Ohio.  See  Fig.  3,  This  illustrates  the 
style  of  fort.     There  are  many  such  forts  in  Northern  Ohio. 

It  will  be  seen  from  these  that  the  defense  consisted  mainly  in 
the  location.  The  walls  were  erected  merely  to  supplement  the 
natural  defense  which  the  rocky  precipices  and  the  isolated 
points  of  land  would  furnish.  But  with  these  inclosures  there 
was  also  the  combination  of  the  outlook.  Dr.  Hdl,  of  Ashland, 
O.,  has  given  this  idea  in  his  description  of  his  works  which  are 
situated  in  Ashland  county.  He  says,  that  here  the  forts  are 
within  sight  of  one  another  through  the  whole  length  of  the 
river,  those  prominent 
parts,  or  tongues  of 
land,which  would  give 
distant  views  having 
been  chosen  for  the 
erection  of  forts.  It 
should  be  said  that  this 
part  of  Ohio  abounds 
with  prominent  bluffs, 
whose  precipitous 
heights  furnish  excel- 
lent defense.  The  Hu- 
ron Shale  is  here  worn 
down  by  the  action  of 
water,  leaving  terraces  projecting  out  in  scalloped  form  and  which 
make  a  series  of  level  platforms,  while  the  circuitious  valleys  be- 
low make  an  open  territory  between  them,  and  thus  fortifications 
could  be  easily  erected,  and  a  complete  system  of  signal  stations 
be  established  along  the  river. 

2.  Another  type  of  stockade  is  common  in  the  State  of  New 
York.  It  is  also  iound  in  the  northern  part  of  Ohio,  the  for- 
tification at  Conneaut  being  a  good  specimen.  Here  there  are 
remains  of  stockades,  the  stockades  having  been  placed  on  the 
summits  of  the  hills  where  an  extensive  outlook  could  be  had. 
These  stockades  may  have  so  been  connected  that  a  complete 
system  of  signals  could  be  conducted  across  the  country,  and 
natives  defend  one  another  by  the  combination  of  the  outlook 
with  the  enclosure.  These  ancient  stockades  have  been  de- 
scribed by  E.  G.  Squier,  but  the  connection  between  them  has 
not  been  traced. 

It  is  a  fact,  however,  that  this  State  was  the  seat  of  a  great 
confederacy,  that  of  the  Iroquois,  and  this  renders  it  probable 
that  these  prehistoric  forts  were  connected  by  a  signal  .system. 
It  is  known  that  the  Iroquois  had  a  complete  military  organiza- 


Fig.  $.  — Stockade  Fort  in  yortherii  O/iio. 


194  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

tion ;  their  central  capital  was  at  Onondaga,  but  there  were  trails 
running  from  this  point  throughout  the  whole  State,  and  the 
villages  were  connected  by  the  trails.  It  is  known  also  that  the 
Iroquois  had  stockades,  and  that  they  defended  themselves 
against  the  whites  by  these  fortifications.  Some  of  the  sites  of 
the  Iroquois  forts  have  been  identified.  The  boundaries  of  the 
different  tribes  are  also  known.  Under  such  an  organization 
the  signal  system  would  come  into  use,  and  we  can  imagine  how 
completely  the  State  was  protected  by  the  combined  watchfulness 
of  the  people  with  the  defenses  offered  by  these  stockade  forts. 

There  are  descriptions  of  the  defenses  of  the  Iroquois  which 
enable  us  to  understand  the  military  architecture  of  the  prehis- 
toric races.  We  give  a  cut  taken  from  the  Documentary  His- 
tory of  New  York,  which  illustrates  the  subject.  It  is  a  picture 
of  a  village  of  the  Onondagas,  attacked  by  Champlain  in  1615. 
See  Plate  IV.  "The  village  was  enclosed  by  strong  quadruple 
palisades  of  large  timber,  thirty  feet  high,  interlocked  the  one 
with  the  other,  with  an  interval  of  not  more  than  a  half  of  a  foot 
between  them,  with  galleries  in  the  form  of  parapets,  defended 
with  double  pieces  of  timber,  proof  against  our  arquebuses,  and 
on  one  side  they  had  a  pond  with  a  never-failing  supply  of  water 
from  which  proceeds  a  number  of  gutters,  which  they  had  laid 
along  the  intermediate  space,  throwing  the  water  without  and 
rendering  it  effectual  inside  for  the  purpose  of  extinguishing  fire." 

The  picture  illustrates  several  points,  (i)  The  villages  were 
frequently  surrounded  by  stockades,  the  houses  within  the  en- 
closure being  arranged  in  blocks.  (2)  The  location  of  the  en- 
closure was  convenient  to  water,  and  attended  with  natural 
defenses.  There  is  no  evidence  of  the  signal  system  in  this  case, 
and  the  use  of  water  in  the  manner  described  is  uncommon 
among  the  northern  races,  though  in  the  southern  states  there 
are  many  cases  where  the  villages  were  surrounded  by  artificial 
ditches  and  ponds  of  water.  (3)  The  manner  of  constructing 
the  wall  which  surrounded  the  defensive  village  enclosures.  We 
call  special  attention  to  the  elevated  platform  or  parapet,  as  it 
may  possibly  help  us  to  understand  the  manner  in  which  the  vil- 
lages of  the  Mound-buildeis  were  defended.  If  we  substitute 
for  this  timber  wall  a  solid  earth  work,  making  the  top  of  the 
earth  wall  a  platform  or  parapet,  and  place  the  barricade  on  the 
outside,  we  shall  have  a  defense  very  similar  to  this  of  the  Iro- 
quois. The  combination  of  stockade  with  an  earth  wall  would 
thus  make  an  admirable  defense  for  a  village,  and  with  much  less 
expense  of  labor  and  time  than  if  it  were  wholly  of  timber. 

In  reference  to  this  Rev.  William  Beauchamp  advances  the 
idea  that  the  erection  of  earth-walls  as  parapets  preceded  this 
method  of  stockades  with  platforms,  but  that  the  latter  was 
found  to  be  the  easier  method,  so  the  earlier  mode  was  aban- 
doned.    A  view  of  one  of  these  stockade  forts  is  given  by  Sir 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  195 

William  Dawson  in  his  work  "Fossil  Men."  He  has  given  a 
quotation  from  Cartier's  voyage,  which  describes  this  fort  at 
Hochelaga,  and  has  given  a  cut  of  the  fort  as  it  existed.  Ac- 
cording to  the  cut  the  walls  of  the  fort  were  built  of  round 
trunks  of  trees,  rather  than  of  planks,  but  the  town  was  a  reg- 
ular circle,  with  the  houses  arranged  around  a  square.  "The 
city  of  Hochelaga  is  round  compassed  about  with  timber,  with 
three  course  of  rampires,  framed  like  a  sharp  spire  or  pyramid. 
It  had  but  one  gate  or  entry,  which  is  shut  with  pikes,  stakes 
and  bars.  Over  it,  and  also  in  many  places  in  the  wall,  there  is 
a  kind  of  gallery  to  run  along  and  a  ladder  to  get  up  with,  and 
all  filled  with  stones  and  pebbles  for  the  defense  of  it.  There 
are  in  the  town  about  fifty  houses,  at  the  utmost  fifty  paces  long 
and  twelve  or  fifteen  broad,  built  all  of  wood  and  covered  with 
bark.  They  have  in  the  middle  of  their  towns  a  large  square 
place,  being  from  side  to  side  a  good  stone's  cast.  They  showed 
us  the  manner  of  their  armor.  They  are  made  of  cordes  and 
wood  finely  wrought  together."  The  diameter  of  this  enclosure 
is  given  as  about  120  yards,  and  each  side  of  the  square  in  the 
center  about  thirty  yards.  It  was  situated  at  the  Ijase  of  Mt. 
Royal,  on  a  terrace  between  two  small  streams.  The  opinion 
is  expressed  that  it  was  intended  to  accommodate  the  whole 
population  in  times  of  danger. 

3.  A  third  class  of  stockades  is  one  which  we  are  now  to  con- 
sider. It  consisted  in  creating  an  enclosure  capable  of  holding 
an  extensive  settlement,  placing  a  heavy  earth  wall  about  the 
enclosure,  and  surmounting  this  by  a  palisade  of  timber.  This 
was  the  common  method  among  the  Mound-builders  of  the 
ruder  class.  There  are  many  such  fortifications  scattered  over 
the  Mississippi  Valley.  Some  are  situated  in  the  prairie  district, 
others  in  the  forest  region.  Many  such  are  found  in  New  York, 
Michigan  and  Southern  Ohio,  but  they  should  be  distinguished 
from  the  regular  Mound-builders'  forts.  The  peculiarity  of  this 
class  of  stockades  was  that  they  were  very  large.  The  area 
within  them  frequently  amounted  to  thirty  or  forty  acres,  though 
twelve  to  fifteen  acres  would  perhaps  be  the  average.  We  may 
take  the  fortified  hill  near  Granville,  Ohio,  as  a  good  specimen 
of  this  class.  It  encloses  the  summit  of  a  high  hill  and  embraces 
not  far  from  eighteen  acres.  The  embankment  is  carried  around 
the  hill  and  conforms  generally  to  its  shape.  The  ditch  is  on 
the  outside  of  the  wall,  the  earth  having  been  thrown  inward. 
There  are  no  palisades  on  the  summit,  but  the  probabilities  are 
that  these  surmounted  the  wall  and  have  perished  Upon  the 
highest  part  of  the  ground  within  the  enclosure  there  is  a  small 
circle,  two  hundred  feet  in  diameter,  within  which  are  two  small 
mounds.  Upon  excavation,  these  mounds  were  found  to  contain 
altars. 

A  fortification  similar  to  this  is  described  by  Squier  and  Davis, 


196  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

as  existing  near  the  sacred  enclosure  on  the  Scioto  River.     This 
also  had  a  monnd  in  its  center,  and  within  the  mound  an  altar. 
On    this   altar  were  discovered  some  remarkable  relics.      The 
area  of  this  was  twenty-five  acres.     It  is  surrounded  by  a  ditch, 
and  has  six  gateways.     The  character  of  the  work  resembles 
that  of  an  ordinary  stockade  fort.     The  only  thing  which  would 
identify  it  as  the  work  of  the  Ohio  Mound-builders  is  its  prox- 
imity to  the  sacred  enclosure  called   Mound  City  and  the  fact 
that  it  contained  a  mound  with  a  paved  fire-bed  and  the  remains 
of   a    sacrifice.      The  Granville   works    contained   a   very  large 
mound  in  the  exact  center,  and  yet  had  all  the  characteristics  of 
the  common  stockade.     The  discovery  of  the  paved  altar  in  the 
fort  near  Chillicothe  has  been  interpreted  by  some  as  proving 
the  identity  of  the  Mound-builders  of  Ohio  with  the  stockade- 
builders  of  New  York,  but  in  the  absence  of  other  proof  we  must 
consider  it  a  mere  conjecture.     Stockade  forts  like   these  were 
very  common  throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley,  but  they  are 
generally  ascribed  to  the  later  rather  than  to  the  earlier  Mound- 
builders.     The  prevalence  of  stockade  forts  in  the  midst  of  the 
Ohio  Mound-builders'  works  only  proves  a  succession  of  popu- 
lation. 

Descriptions  of  the  stockade  forts  have  been  given  by  Squier 
and  Davis.  We  would  refer  the  reader  to  the  work  by  these 
authors  for  more  definite  information.  Nearly  all  of  these 
have  high  mounds  in  the  interior  of  the  enclosure  or  in  the 
vicinity,  which  vary  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  were 
probably  used  as  lookouts. 

We  give  a  copy  of  the  plate  (see  Fig.  2)  from  the  "Ancient 
Monuments,"  which  exhibits  a  section  of  six  miles  of  the  Great 
Miami  Valley.  No  less  than  seven  enclosures  are  in  this  space, 
the  most  ot  them  forts.  It  will  be  noticed  that,  besides  the  square 
enclosure  (C),  there  are  three  classes  of  stockades,  i.  Those 
which  have  remarkable  gateways  (A).  2.  Those  which  have 
double  walls,  ditches  and  lookout  mounds  (B).  3.  Those  which 
have  single  walls  across  a  promontory  (G).  The  forts  which 
interest  us  are  those  with  the  remarkable  gateways.  Some  of 
them  are  on  the  terraces  near  the  river,  several  are  upon  the  sum- 
mit of  the  bluff  overlooking  the  terraces.  In  area  they  vary  from 
eighteen  to  ninety-five  acres.  We  shall  describe  at  present  only 
a  few  of  these,'  the  ones  called  stockades — these  being  the 
largest.  The  fort  marked  A  will  be  described  under  the  head  of 
"  Hill  Forts".  It  will  be  noticed  that  there  are  lookout  mounds 
on  all  of  the  high  hills;  that  the  hill  fort  is  isolated  and  well 
protected  by  walls  on  all  sides  ;  that  the  stockade  forts  are  on 
lower  ground  than  the  hill  forts,  being  situated  on  the  terrace, 
near  the  river.  We  make  a  distinction  between  these  forts,  be- 
cause they  seem  to  belong  to  different  periods  and  were  probably 
•  built  by  different  classes  or  races  of  Mound-builders.     We  take 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  197 

the  one  called  the  Colerain,  six  miles  south  of  Hamilton.  It 
encloses  ninety-five  acres.  Its  walls  have  an  average  height  of 
nine  feet.  It  commands  a  large  peninsula,  two  miles  in  circum- 
ference, formed  by  a  singular  bend  in  the  river.  It  is  upon  the 
terrace,  which  is  thirty-five  feet  above  the  river.  Some  distance 
from  the  fort,  and  still  further  to  the  south,  is  a  hill  three  hundred 
feet  high,  upon  the  top  of  which  are  two  mounds  measuring  five 
and  ten  feet  in  height;  they  are  composed  of  earth  and  stones 
considerably  burned.  There  is  a  ditch  on  the  outside  of  the  wall. 
See  Fig.  4.  At  one  extremity  of  the  works,  the  wall  is  looped, 
forming  a  bastion  of  singular  shape. 

This  fort  is  classed  with  the  stockades.  We  elsewhere  ascribe 
it  to  the  serpent-worshipers,  classing  it  with  the  old  work  at  Fort 
Ancient  and  with  the  fort  near  Hamilton,  and  others.  Our 
reasons  for  so  classing  it  are  as  follows :  i .  Its  great  size.  Squier 
and  Davis  say  that  it  is  a  work  of  the  first  magnitude  and  com- 
pare it  to  Clarke's  Fort,  on  the  north  fork  of  Paint  Creek.  2.  The 
unusual  height  of  the  walls — nine  feet — would  indicate  that  it 
was  no  ordinary  stockade.  3.  The  peculiar  shape  of  the  gate- 
way. 4.  The  location  of  the  fort.  It  is  on  the  terrace  over- 
looking the  flood  plain.  It  is  not  a  hill  fort,  and  hardly  answers 
to  the  stockade  fort.  It  seems  to  have  been  a  village — perhaps 
a  village  of  the  serpent-worshiping  Mound-builders. 

Two  other  forts,  which  we  class  among  stockades,  may  be  seen 
on  this  map.  One  is  situated  on  the  terrace  near  the  river.  It 
covers  eighteen  acres,  and  is  surrounded  by  a  double  wall,  with 
the  ditch  on  the  inside.  The  peculiarity  of  this  fort  is  that  the 
inner  wall  and  ditch  pass  over  a  large  mound,  which  is  denom- 
inated a  lookout  mound. 

The  next  fort  in  the  series  is  situated  on  the  Big  Miami  River, 
six  miles  south  of  Hamilton.  It  consists  of  a  simple  embank- 
ment of  earth  carried  around  the  brow  of  a  high,  detached  hill, 
overlooking  a  wide  and  beautiful  section  of  the  Miami  Valley. 
The  side  of  the  hill  on  the  north,  towards  the  river,  is  very  abrupt 
and  rises  to  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  above  the 
valley,  from  which  an  extended  view  may  be  obtained.  There 
are  two  mounds  of  earth  placed  near  together,  on  the  highest 
point  within  the  enclosure,  measuring  ten  feet  in  height.  The 
area  of  this  enclosure  is  twenty-seven  acres. 

Two  other  enclosures  containing  single  walls  and  single  gate- 
ways are  mentioned.  One  on  Four-mile  Creek  contains  twenty- 
five  acres,  and  is  situated  on  a  promontory  formed  by  a  bend  of 
the  creek.  The  other  is  on  Nine-mile  Creek.  Both  of  these 
have  high  mounds  in  the  interior  of  the  enclosure,  varying  from 
twelve  to  fifteen  feet  in  height,  which  were  probably  used  as  sac- 
rificial or  lookout  mounds. 

Two  other  fortifications  are  mentioned  by  Squier  and  Davis, 


198 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


situated  on  the  Miami  River,  one  of  them  two  and  a  half  miles 
above  the  town  of  Piqua,  It  occupies  a  third  terrace,  which  here 
lorms  a  promontory.  It  contains  about  eighteen  acres,  and  is 
surrounded  by  a  wall  composed  mainly  of  stone.  The  other  is 
on  the  bank  of  the  Great  Miami,  three  miles  below  Dayton.  It 
resembles  the  one  southwest  ot  Hamilton.  The  side  of  the 
hill  towards  the  river  is  very  steep,  rising  to  the  height  of  one 
hundred  and  sixty  feet.  At  this  point  there  is  a  mound,  which 
commands  a  full  view  of  the  surrounding  country  for  a  long 
distance  up  and  down  the  river.  A  terrace,  apparently  artificial, 
skirts  the  hill  thirty  feet  below  the  embankment.  The  terrace 
may  be  natural,  but  it  has  all  the  regularity  of  a  work,  and  may 
be  compared  to  the  work  at  Fort  Ancient. 


AREA  yj  ACRES 


^^ 


B 


j^lg^  I,,— The  Works  at  Colerain. 

The  next  fort  which  we  shall  mention  is  also  situated  on  the 
Miami.  Fig.  5.  It  corresponds  in  all  essential  particulars  with 
those  already  described,  with  the  exception  of  the  gateway.  It 
occupies  the"  summit  of  a  promontory  bordering  the  river,  which 
upon  three  sides  presents  high  and  steep  natural  banks,  rendered 
more  secure  for  purpose  of  defense  by  artificial  embankments. 
The  remaining  side  is  defended  by  a  wall  and  ditch,  and  it  is 
from  this  side  only  that  the  work  is  easy  of  approach.  The 
most  interesting  feature  in  connection  with  this  work  is  the  en- 
trance on  the  south.  The  ends  ot  the  wall  curve  inwardly  as 
they  approach  each  other,  upon  a  radius  of  seventy-five  feet, 
forming  a  true  circle,  interrupted  only  by  the  gateways.  Withm 
the  space  thus  formed  is  a  small  circle,  one  hundred  feet  in  diam- 
eter; outside  of  which,  and  covering  the  gateway,  is  a  mound 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  19^ 

(e),  forty  feet  in  diameter  and  five  feet  high.  The  passage  be- 
tween the  mound  and  the  embankment,  and  between  the  walls 
of  the  circles,  is  now  about  six  teet  wide.  The  gateway  or 
opening  (d)  is  twenty  feet  wide.  This  singular  entrance,  it  will 
be  remarked,  strongly  resembles  the  gateways  belonging  to  a 
work  to  be  described  under  the  head  of  stone  forts,  although 
much  more  regular  in  its  construction.  The  ditches  (f  f )  which 
accompany  the  walls  on  the  south  subside  into  the  ravines  upon 
either  side.     These  ravines  are  not  far  from  sixty  feet  deep  and 


CREAT   MlAMLRiI53 


Fig.  5.— Works  near  Hamilton,  Ohio. 

have  precipitous  sides.  The  area  of  the  work  is  seventeen 
acres.  The  valley  beyond  the  river  is  broad,  and  in  it  are 
many  traces  of  remote  population,  of  which  this  work  was 
probably  the  fortress  or  place  of  last  resort  during  turbulent 
periods.  The  gateway  of  this  enclosure  resembles  serpents' 
heads,  and  reminds  one  of  the  entrance  to  the  lower  enclosure 
of  Fort  Ancient. 

III.  We  now  turn  to  the  third  method  of  defense.  This  con- 
sists in  the  selection  of  some  "stronghold"  of  nature  and  there 
placing  a  fortification,  walls  of  earth  being  placed  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  precipice  as  a  supplement  to  the  natural  defense,  the 
whole  designed  to  be  a  place  of  retreat  in  time  of  danger.  To 
understand  clearly  the  nature  of  the  works,  it  should  be  remem- 
bered that  the  banks  of  the  rivers  are  always  steep,  and  where 
these  are  located  they  are  invariably  high.     The  edges  of  the 


200  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

table  lands  bordering  on  the  valleys  are  cut  by  a  thousand  ra- 
vines, presenting  bluffs,  hig^h  hills,  steep  and  detached  and  iso- 
lated heights  with  steep  sides,  and  cliffs  which  are  precipitous 
and  often  absolutely  inaccessible.  The  natural  strength  of  such 
positions  certainly  suggest  them  as  the  citadels  of  the  people 
having  hostile  neighbors  or  pressed  by  invaders.  Accordingly 
we  are  not  surprised  to  find  these  heights  occupied  bv  strong 
and  complicated  works,  the  design  of  which  is  no  less  indicated 
by  their  position  than  by  their  construction. 

Here  let  us  say  that  these  fortifications  are  to  be  distinguished 
from  the  walled  towns  or  villages  so  common  in  certain  parts  of 
the  country,  especially  in  Southern  Ohio.     In  reference  to  this 
we  are  to  notice  (i)  that  the  fortifications  are  always  placed  on 
high  and  steep  hills.     Their  walls  always  take  the  form  of  the 
outline  of  thehill,  and  hence  are  more  or  less  irregular  in  shape, 
as  they  enclose  the  whole  top  of  a  hill  and  conform  to  the  shape 
of  the  hill  in  contour.     The  walled  villages  are  more  regular. 
They  are  usually  found  on  a  level  plain,  one  of  the  river  benches 
or  terraces,  and  have  no  natural  barriers  to  prevent  the  regular- 
ity of  their  shape.     The  square  and  circle  predominate,  and  are 
often   found  united  in  a  seemingly  arbitrary    manner.     (2.)  In 
point  of  size,  the  fortifications  vary  greatly.     Some  of  them 
contain  only  a  few  acres;  others  contain   from  one  hundred  to 
four  hundred  acres.     The  fortified  villages  are,  however,  quite 
uniform;  the  area  varying  from  eighteen  to  fifty  acres,  but  the 
majority  containing  about  twenty-seven  acres.     (3.)  The  posi- 
tion of  the  ditch,  whether  inside  or  outside  of  the  vallum  or 
wall,  IS  to  be  noticed.     At  one  time  it  was  thought  that  all 
works  which  had  the  ditch  on  the  inside  were  sacred  enclos- 
ures, while  those  which  had  the  ditch  outside  were  fortifications 
belonging   to   the   Indians.     There  is,  however,  no  uniformity. 
The  material  taken  from  the  ditch  was  placed  in  the  embank- 
ments, and  in  cases  of  fortifications  on  the  hilltops  it  would  be 
a  matter  of  necessity  that  the  ditch  should  be  on  the  inside,  the 
excavations  or  pits  from  which  the  dirt  was  scraped  being  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  wall.     The  forts  are  found  on  the 
tops  of  the  highest  hills.     They  were  sometimes  surrounded  by 
stone  walls  and  sometimes  by  earth  embankments,  according  to 
the  convenience  or  abundance  of  the  material  furnished  by  the 
locaHty.     (4.)  Mound-buiiders'  forts  in  Ohio  were  characterized 
by   much  engineering  skill,  and    are  distinguished  from   later 
Indian  forts  bv  this  circumstance.     Some  of  the  Mound-builders 
built  their  forts  very  large  and  placed  elaborate  and  complicated 
walls  at  their  gateways,  exercising  much  military  skill  in  erect- 
ing the  walls  and  planning  outworks  which  would  furnish  the 
best  protection.     Others  erected  only  rude  earth  walls,  took  no 
pains  with  their  gateways  and  exercised  little  skill  in  their  con- 
struction.    There  are  many  such  fortifications. 

This  class  of  defenses  we  have  called  "  hill  forts."     This  term  we 


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EARTH  FORT   IN   HIGHLAND   COUNTV,   OHIO 


STONE   FORT   AT   BOURNEVILLH,   OHIO. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  201 

use  for  the  sake  of  convenience,  rather  than  for  its  accuracy. 
Nearly  all  the  forts  are  situated  upon  hills,  but  the  "hill  forts'"' 
technically  so  called,  are  different  trom  the  ordinary  class.  Their 
strength  consists  in  the  fact  that  the  hill  upon  which  they  are 
placed  is  itself  a  stronghold.  The  artificial  wall  placed  upon 
the  hilltop  is  only  supplementary  to  the  defenses  of  nature.  The 
"  hill  forts"  so  called  are  very  common  in  Southern  Ohio.  They 
are  found  at  the  mouth  of  the  Little  Miami  River,  on  Brush 
Creek,  on  Paint  Creek  and  in  many  other  localities.  Some  of 
the  largest  forts  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  are  included  in  this 
class.  Descriptions  of  "  hill  forts"  have  been  given  by  Squier 
and  Davis  ;  we  shall  draw  from  them  our  information. 

1,  The  first   fort  which  we  shall  describe  is  called  Fort  Hill. 
"It  is  situated  in  the  southern  part  of  Highland  County,  thirty 
miles  from  Chillicothe.     The  defensive  works  occupy  the  sum- 
mit of  a  hill  five  hundred  feet  above  the  bed  of  Brush  Creek  and 
eight  hundred  feet  above  the  Ohio  River.     The  hill  stands  iso- 
lated, and  is  a  conspicuous  object  from  every  approach.     Its  sides 
are  precipitous.     The  fort  has  an  area  of  forty- eight  acres.     Run- 
ning along  the  edge  of  the  hill  is  an  embankment  of  mingled 
earth  and  stone,  interrupted  at   intervals  by  gateways.      The 
length  of  the  wall  is  8,224  feet — something  over  a  mile  and  a 
half.     The  ditch  on  the  inside  has  an  average  width  of  fifty 
feet.     The  height  of  the  wall,  measuring  from  the  bottom  of  the 
ditch,  varies  from  six   to  ten   feet,  but  rises  in  places   to  fifteen 
feet.     There  are  thirty-three  gateways,  most  of  them  not  exceed- 
ing twenty  feet  in  width.     Considered  in  a  military  point  of  view 
the  spot  is  well  chosen  and  well  guarded,  and  may  be  regarded 
as  nearly  impregnable  and  as  a  natural  stronghold.     It  has  few 
equals.     The  degree  of  skill  displayed  and  the  amount  of  labor 
expended   in  constructing  its  artificial   defenses   challenge  our 
admiration  and  excite  our  surprise.     The  evidence  of  antiquity 
is  worthy  of  more  than  a  passing  notice.     The  crumbling  trunks 
of  trees  and  the   size  of  the  trees  which  are  still  livins'  would 
lead  irresistibly  to  the  conclusion  that  it  has  an  antiquity  of  at 
least  one  thousand  years."     Plate  V. 

2.  We  turn  to  the  works  at  Fort  Ancient.  This  is  a  remarka- 
ble specimen  of  a  "  hill  fort."*  Here  is  an  enclosure  capable 
of  holdmg  an  extensive  settlement,  the  walls  being  nearly  three 
miles  and  a  half  in  extent,  and  the  area  of  the  enclosure  being 
about  one  hundred  acres.  We  see  also  an  outwork,  con- 
sisting of  a  covered  way.  which  runs  from  the  enclosure  toward 
the  east.  This  outwork  is  distinguished  by  one  feature:  At 
the  end  of  the  covered  way  is  an  observatory  mound.  The  sup- 
position is  that  this  observatory  was  the  place  where  a  watchman 
was  stationed,  but  that  the  distance  was  so  great  that  the  com- 

*The  book  on  Fort  Ancient  by  W,  K.  Moorehead  is  the  best  authority. 


202  PREHISTOEIC  MONUMENTS 

munication  might  be  cut  off,  and  that  the  parallel  walls  were  con- 
structed so  as  to  give  protection  to  the  sentinel  and  to  keep  up 
a  communication.  The  country  about  the  enclosure,  especially 
that  to  the  east,  is  open  prairie  and  has  no  natural  defense.  This 
wall  is  2,760  feet  in  length.  The  original  height  of  this  wall  is 
not  known,  as  cultivation  of  the  soil  has  nearly  obliterated  it 
Two  high  mounds  are  found  between  the  enclosure  and  the 
covered  way,  making  a  double  opening  to  the  enclosure,  and,  at. 
the  same  time,  giving  an  outlook  from  this  point.  The  enclos- 
ure itself  is  remarkably  well  adapted  to  the  purpose  of  defense. 
See  Fig.  6. 

( i)  Its  situation  is  to  be  first  observed.  It  is  on  top  of  a  promon- 
tory defended  by  two  ravines,  which  sweep  around  it  to  either 
side,  forming  precipitous  banks,  in  places  200  feet  high.  The 
ravines  are  occupied  by  small  streams,  with  the  Miami  River 
close  by,  and  below  the  works,  on  the  west  side.  The  hill  upon 
which  it  is  located  is  divided  into  two  parts  by  a  peninsular,  its 
summit  being  two  hundred  and  thirty  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
Little  Miami.  On  the  verge  of  the  ravine  the  embankment  is 
raised,  and  winds  around  the  spurs  and  re-enters  to  pass  the 
heads  of  gullies,  and  in  several  places  it  is  carried  down  into 
ravines  from  fifty  to  one  hundred  feet  deep. 

(2.)  The  Walls. — The  fortification  is  a  strong  one.  Where 
the  work  is  most  exposed  to  an  enemy  it  is  of  the  greatest  solid- 
ity and  strength.  At  the  isthmus  the  walls  are  twenty  feet  high. 
Where  the  Chillicothe  road  enters  from  the  west  the  walls  are 
fourteen  feet  high  and  sixty  feet  base.  There  are  over  seventy 
gateways.  These  openings  appear  to  have  been  originally  ten 
to  fifteen  feet  in  width.  It  has  been  suggested  that  some  of 
these  gateways  were  once  occupied  by  block  houses  or  bastions. 
Although  the  wall  is  chiefly  built  of  earth. gathered  from  the 
adjacent  surface  and  from  the  interior  ditch,  it  is  partially  under- 
lined with  stone.  One  of  the  most  interesting  facts  is  the  differ- 
ent methods  adopted  for  defending  the  more  easy  approaches. 
Here  the  wall  is  of  ordinary  height,  but  the  ridge  immediately 
outside  is  cut  down  several  feet,  so  as  to  present  a  steep  slope. 
This  gives  the  appearance  of  a  terrace  a  few  feet  below  the  wall. 
In  reference  to  the  terrace,  there  are  important  features,  The 
isthmus  just  north  of  the  so-called  large  mounds  is  undefended. 
This  fact,  as  well  as  the  difference  in  the  construction  of  the 
walls  of  the  different  parts,  has  led  certain  persons  to  the  con- 
clusion that  there  were  two  forts,  oue  called  the  "  old"  fort  and 
the  other  the  "  new". 

(3.)  The  Terraces. — One  terrace  is  located  in  the  wildest  re- 
gion. It  is  situated  in  the  southeast  portion  of  the  old  fort.  The 
terrace  is  covered  with  stone  graves,  the  contents  and  construc- 
tion of  which  have  been  described  by  Mr.  Warren  K.  Moore- 
head.     At  the  southwest  there  are  two  large  terraces,  between 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


203 


the  top  and  bottom  of  the  hill.  These  terraces  are  supposed  by 
many  to  have  been  merely  natural,  but  by  Squier  and  Davis, 
Moorehead  and  others  they  are  thought  to  be  artificial.     It  has 


been  suggested  that  they  were  designed  as  stations  from  which 
to  annoy  an  enemy.  Mr.  Moorehead  dwells  upon  the  terraces 
of  the  region,  maintaining  that  they  are  all  artificial.  He  gives 
the  entire  length  of  these  terraces  as  amounting  to  ten  miles. 
They  are  from  twenty  to  twenty- five  feet  wide,  and  run  along  the. 


204  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

hillsides  with  surprising  regularity  of  height,  and  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  structures  designed  for  a  purpose. 

(4.)  The  gateways  of  Fort  Ancient  are  among  its  most  import- 
ant features.  There  are  seventy-four  of  these,  and  they  differ 
greatly  in  their  dimensions.  Some  of  them  are  thirty  feet  wide 
at  the  top  and  ten  feet  at  the  base ;  others  are  twenty  feet  at  the 
top  and  five  feet  at  the  base.  The  wall  of  either  side  is  always 
sloping.  In  many  places  there  are  large  quantities  of  stone  at 
the  ends  of  the  walls.  These  stones  lie  in  a  confused  mass,  but 
it  is  supposed  that  they  were  used  as  a  wall  to  hold  and  strengthen 
the  embankment.  The  position  of  the  gateways  is  also  to  be 
noticed.  It  appears  that  some  of  them  open  out  upon  the  ter- 
races; others  open  to  the  road  leading  down  the  hill,  which  is 
now  occupied  by  the  pike.  One  to  the  east  opens  out  to  the 
prairie  region,  but  it  is  guarded  by  two  conical  mounds,  and  in- 
stead of  furnishing  a  passage-way  to  the  open  country,  only  leads 
to  the  long,  narrow  covered  way  which  extends  from  this  point 
to  the  east. 

The  Great  Gateway. — The  gateway  is  situated  between  the 
two  forts.  Here  two  mounds  about  twenty  feet  high  and  ten 
feet  apart  leave  just  space  enough  for  a  wagon  to  pass  between 
them.  At  their  base  is  a  raised  platform  four  feet  in  height. 
When  examined  it  was  found  to  contain  many  human  bones. 
Outside  of  the  gateway,  in  the  space  between  the  two  forts,  for  a 
considerable  distance,  there  is  no  embankment,  the  ravines  here 
having  a  steep  angle  and  coming  very  near  together,  so  as  to 
make  a  narrow  passage  way.  All  about  this  gateway  are  masses 
of  stone.  These  must  have  been  piled  up  in  the  form  of  a  rude 
wall  to  strengthen  the  base  of  the  embankment.  Here  the  em- 
bankment is  the  steepest  of  the  entire  earth-work.  The  stones 
are  on  the  outside  of  the  wall  .  "From  the  great  gateway  the  two 
walls  which  constitute  the  old  fort  greatly  diverge.  The  wall 
running  east  swings  around  to  the  south;  the  other  wall  runs  in 
a  very  irregular  manner  and  is  more  tortuous  than  any  other 
portion  of  the  entire  structure."  This  is  the  place  where  we 
recognize  the  snake  effigy. 

Other  gateways  are  found  at  intervals  on  the  different  sides  of 
the  fort.  The  supposition  of  Squier  and  Davis  is  that  some  of 
these  were  formerly  occupied  by  bastions  and  block  houses.  The 
so-called  east  gateway  is  the  one  which  forms  the  direct  entrance. 
It  is  a  remarkable  feature  of  the  fort.  It  consists  of  two  large 
conical  mounds,  which  seem  to  have  been  placed  at  the  openings 
both  as  guards  and  as  lookouts.  The  dimensions  of  these 
mounds  is  given  as  twelve  feet  in  height  and  eighty  feet  in  diam- 
eter. Between  these  two  mounds  is  a  pavement  laid  with  lime- 
stone. The  use  of  the  pavement  is  conjectural.  Some  of  the 
stones  give  evidence  of  having  been  subjected  to  the  action  of 
fire.     The  area  of  the  pavement  is  said  to  be  130x500  feet. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDEES.  205 

(5.)  The  Covered  Ways. — Running  due  northeast  from  these 
two  mounds  are  two  parallel  walls  or  embankments,  about  a  foot 
in  height  and  twelve  feet  wide.  They  run  for  a  distance  of  2760 
feet  and  terminate  by  enclosing  a  small  mound,  about  three  feet 
high.  They  are  130  feet  apart.  A  suggestion  has  been  made 
in  reference  to  these,  that  they  were  used  as  a  race-ground,  and 
that  the  wall  at  the  end  was  the  goal  or  turning  point.  Our 
conjecture  is  that  the  mound  was  a  lookout  station,  and  that  the 
walls  were  designed  to  protect  the  sentinels  and  to  keep  open 
communication  between  the  fort  and  signal  station. 

(6)  The  Isthmus. — The  division  of  the  fort  into  two  enclos- 
ures has  been  noticed,  A  peninsula  joins  the  two  forts.  This 
has  been  called  the  "isthmus."  The  isthmus,  however,  seems  to 
be  a  sort  of  middle  fort.  Here  we  find  crescent-shaped  embank- 
ments on  one  side  and  a  great  gateway  on  the  other.  "The  space 
is  well  enclosed,  and  is  one  of  the  strongest  positions  of  the  en- 
tire fortification."  The  crescent  gateway,  on  account  of  its  beauty 
and  the  curve  of  its  walls,  may  be  regarded  as  belonging  to  the 
new  fort.  The  other  so-called  gateway  may  be  regarded  as  be- 
longing to  the  old  fort.  Here  the  question  of  symbolism  comes 
in.  We  have  said  that  the  walls  of  the  old  fort  resemble  two 
massive  serpents,  and  that  the  mounds  at  the  end,  which  consti- 
tute the  sides  of  the  gateway,  represented  the  heads  of  the 
serpents.  We  now  maintain  that  the  crescents  forming  the 
gateway  to  the  middle  fort  were  also  symbolic,  and  at  the  isth- 
mus we  find  the  clue  to  the  character  of  the  builders  of  the  two 
forts.  There  is  a  crescent-shaped  embankment  near  the  western 
opening  to  the  new  fort.  This  we  also  regard  as  symbolic.  We 
conjecture  that  the  new  fort  was  erected  by  the  sun-worshipers 
and  the  old  fort  by  the  serpent-worshipers.* 

(7.)  In  reference  to  the  old  enclosure,  it  appears  almost  certain 
that  a  large  village  once  flourished  within  this  fort.  The  wall  is 
much  more  irregular  than  in  the  new  fort.  The  terrace  on  the 
east  side  of  the  gateway  has  many  stone  graves.  The  stone 
graves  are  generally  outside  of  the  walls,  "The  terraces  on  the 
west  side  have  scattered  graves  on  them."  Large  quantities  of 
stone  were  placed  over  the  graves,  one  hundred  wagon-loads  in 
one  place  and  forty  in  another.  In  the  river  valley  below  Fort 
Ancient  was  a  village  site.  Ash-heaps  were  discovered  here, 
and  also  many  relics  of  a  rude  population.  Five  feet  of  earth 
were  above  the  lowest  site  of  the  village.  Well  preserved  skele- 
tons have  been  found.  "Three  village  periods  have  been  recog- 
nized, and  the  mingling  of  two  races  seems  to  be  indicated  by 
the  relics."  The  new  fort  was  evidently  built  by  a  people  more 
advanced  than  those  of  the  old  fort.  The  walls  are  much  more 
skillfully  constructed,  have  more  perpendicular  sides,  sharper 
angles,  wider  gateways,  and  give  more  evidence  of  workmanship. 

♦Illustrations  of  the  different  parts  of  this  fort  are  given  by  Mr.  W.  K.  Moorehead 


206  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

3.  The  fortified  hill  in  Butler  County  is  another  specimen  of  a 
"  Hill  Fort".  This  is  situated  on  the  west  side  of  the  Great 
Miami  River,  three  miles  below  the  Hamilton.  The  hill  is  not 
far  from  two  hundred  feet  high,  surrounded  on  all  points  by- 
deep  ravines,  presenting  steep  and  almost  inaccessible  declivi- 
ties, skirting  the  brow  of  the  hill  and  conforming  to  its  outline. 
Its  wall  is  of  mingled  earth  and  stone,  having  an  average  height 
of  five  feet,  by  thirty-five  feet  base.  The  wall  is  interrupted  by 
four  gateways  or  passages,  each  twenty  feet  wide.  They  are 
protected  by  inner  Hnes  of  embankments  of  a  most  singular  and 
intricate  description. 

The  gateways  in  this  fort  are  its  distinguishing  peculiarity. 
It  will  be  noticed  from  the  plate  that  they  occur  where  the  spurs 
of  the  hill  are  cut  off  b}'  the  wall  or  parapet  and  where  the  de- 
clivity is  the  least  abrupt.  Two  of  them  have  the  inner  walls 
arranged  after  the  same  manner,  with  re-entering  angles,  curved 
walls,  narrow  passage-ways,  excavations  in  the  passage-ways. 
It  will  be  noticed  also  that  there  are  stone  mounds  on  the  sum- 
mit of  the  hill  near  the  gateways. 

This  style  of  gateway  has  been  called  the  Tlascalan,  as  it  is 
common  among  the  Tlascalans  and  the  Aztecs.  The  ends  of 
the  wall  overlap  each  other,  in  the  form  of  semi-circles  having 
a  common  center.  The  northern  gateway  is  especially  worthy 
of  notice.  The  principal  approach  is  guarded  by  a  mound, 
which  was  used  perhaps  as  an  alarm  post.  A  crescent  wall  or 
embankment  crosses  the  isthmus,  leavmg  narrow  passages  be- 
tween its  ends  and  the  declivity.  Next  comes  the  principal 
wall  of  the  enclosure.  Within  this  are  two  crescent-shaped 
embankments,  placed  between  two  prolongations  of  the  walls, 
making  a  series  of  defenses  so  complicated  as  to  distract  and 
bewilder  the  assailants. 

The  stone  mounds  or  beacons  are  to  be  noticed  in  this  con- 
nection. These  mounds  are  placed  on  the  summit  of  the  hill 
at  the  very  entrance  of  the  gateways.  Similar  stone  mounds 
are  found  elsewhere,  and  they  form  a  striking  feature  of  the 
"  Hill  Forts".  It  is  probable  that  they  were  used  as  beacons 
and  that  fires  were  lighted  upon  them. 

The  height  of  the  ground  is  also  to  be  noticed.  It  gradually 
rises  from  the  interior  to  the  height  of  twenty-six  feet  above  the 
base  of  the  wall,  and  overlooks  the  entire  adjacent  country.  In 
the  vicinity  of  this  work  are  a  number  of  others  occupying  the 
valley.  The  location  of  this  fort  will  be  seen  by  a  study  of  the 
map  of  the  works  on  the  Great  Miami. 

4.  Another  "  Hill  Fort"  that  may  be  mentioned  is  represented 
on  the  same  map.  It  is  situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  Miami,  six 
miles  from  Hamilton.  It  occupies  the  summit  of  a  steep,  iso- 
lated hill,  and  consists  of  a  wall  composed  of  earth  thrown  from 
the  interior.  The  three  sides  are  as  nearly  perpendicular  as 
they  could  be.     The  wall  corresponds  to  the  outline  of  the  hill, 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


207 


but  it  cuts  off  a  spur,  leaving  a  promontory  outside  the  walls. 
On  this  promontory  is  a  mound,  corresponding  in  its  purpose 
with  that  which  guards  the  principal  avenue  in  the  fortified  hill 
just  described.  This  fort  was  visited  by  Gen.  Harrison  and  was 
regarded  by  him  as  admirably  designed  for  defense,  exhibiting 
extraording  militar}'  skill  and  as  a  citadel  to  be  compared  to  the 
Acropolis  at  Athens. 

5.  Two  "  Hill  Forts"  remain  to  be  described.  One  of  these 
is  situated  on  the  Big  Twin,  near  Farmersville.  It  has  been  de- 
scribed by  Mr.  S.  H.  Brinkley.     Its  form  is  an  irregular  triangle, 


y////"'""' 


BLOiSOM 


Fig.  7.— Farmersville  Fort. 

two  sides  resting  upon  the  margins  of  wide  ravines,  the  third 
on  the  Big  Twin.  The  wall  extends  along  the  edge  of  the 
ravine;  it  is  five  feet  high  and  forty  feet  wide;  is  flanked  by  a 
ditch  on  the  inside.  The  entire  length  is  two  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  feet.  There  are  three  enclosures  within  this  fort;  two  in 
the  shape  of  horse-shoes;  the  third  is  a  small  circle.  One  of 
the  horse-shoe  enclosures  has  a  diameter  of  three  hundred  and 
eighty  feet  north  and  south,  four  hundred  feet  east  and  west. 
The  diameter  of  the  other  is  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  feet 
and  one  hundred  in  width.  The  circle  is  but  twenty-five  feet 
in  diameter.  It  is  placed  at  the  entrance  of  tne  larger  enclosure, 
which  is  here  forty  feet  wide.     See  Fig.  7. 

These  remarkable  enclosures  have  been  excavated  and  found 
to  contain  fire-beds  or  hearths  filled  with  charcoal  and  ashes. 


208  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

The  supposition  is  that  these  hearths  marked  the  sites  of  lodges. 
The  shape  of  the  enclosure  is  remarkable.  It  reminds  us  of  the 
horse-shoes  at  Portsmouth,  Ohio.  What  is  strange  is  that  a 
stone  object  wrought  out  of  dark  shale,  with  an  exact  represen- 
tation of  a  horse-shoe  upon  it,  was  found  in  an  adjacent  field. 

The  gateway  to  the  horse-shoe  enclosure  is  noticeable.     It  is 
an  exact  circle  twenty-five  feet  in  diameter.     This  circle  was 
placed  at  the   entrance  of   the  enclosure,   partially   filling   the 
space,  the  entire  opening  being  forty  feet;    but  the  circle  took 
a  little  more  than  twenty-five  feet,  leaving  a  space  or  passage 
way  on  either  side  of  it.     Mr.  Brinkley's  idea  is  that  the  circle 
was  the  council  house  and  that  the  horse-shoe  enclosure  was  the 
place  of  residence.     This  is  plausible,  and  yet  it  is  the  only  en- 
closure of  the  kind  which  has-been  discovered.     The  other  fort 
which  Mr.  Brinkley  has  described  is  also  situated  on  the  Big 
Twin,  a  tributarv  of  the  Great  Miami.     Its  location  is  on  a  hill 
or  bluff  near  Carlisle,  so  it  has  been  called  Carlisle  Fort.     See 
Ficr.   8.      The  work  comprises  two  distinct  enclosures.      The 
eastern  division  contains  about  nine  acres,  the  western  about  six 
acres;  the  eastern  division  is  protected  by  the  precipitous  bluffs 
which  border  upon  the  Big  Twin,  or  rather  which  overlook  the 
bottom  lands  or  terrace  of  the  Big  Twin.     On  the  north  and 
south  there  are  deep  ravines,  which  protect  it  on  those  sides. 
The  space  between  the  two  enclosures  is  made  secure  by  a  re- 
markable combination  of  walls  in  the  form  of  a  symetncal  cres- 
cent, three  successive  lines  stretching,  in  graceful  bends,  from 
one  ravine  to  the  other,  leaving  a  space  between  of  forty  feet 
and  sixty-five  feet,  measured  at  the  middle  point.     The  inner 
wall  is  continued  along  the  crest  of  the  ravine,  and  forms  a  cir- 
cumvallation  for  the  fort.     The  length  of  the  erescent-shaped 
wall  is  about  four  hundred  and  fifty  feet;  the  height  was  origi- 
nally about  five  feet.     The  western  enclosure  is  protected  by  a 
ravine  which  passes  around  three  sides  of  it.     On  the  summit, 
overlooking  this,  there  is  a  circumvallation,  which  is  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty  yards  in  length  and  encloses  about  six  acres. 
At  a  point  between  the  two  forts  there  is  a  ravine  which  parti- 
ally separates  them,  but  from   which  a  spring  flows  into  the 
bottom  land.     Above  this  ravine  is  a  wall,  which  protects  the 
western  fort,  and  near  the  wall  two  circular  enclosures,  which 
seem  to  have  formed  guards  to  the  gateway  or  entrance  to  the 
fort,  though  they  may  have  had  connection  with  the  spring  be- 
low.    In  the  eastern  division  there  was  a  stone  enclosure,  sev- 
enty-eight feet  in  length  and  forty-five  feet  in  breadth,  in  the 
shape  of  a  horse  shoe,  with  a  return  at  each  corner,  leaving  an 
open  space  one-third  of  the  width,  fronting  the  east.     The  ob- 
ject of  this  horse-shoe  enclosure  is  unknown.      Mr.  Brinkley 
thinks  it  was  the  foundation  of  a  building,  but  of  this  there  are 
no  proofs.     We  would  here  call  attention  to  the  resemblance  of 
Carlisle  Fort  to  that  at  Fort  Ancient.     It  is  a  double  fort,  the 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


209 


two  enclosures  being  separated  by  an  isthmus,  guarded  by  triple 
crescent-shaped  walls.  The  entrance  to  this  fort  is  by  a  path 
consisting  of  a  most  delightful  promenade,  which  leads  by  an 
easy  grade  from  the  fort  to  the  terrace.  "The  promenade  is 
located  on  a  ridge,  but  improved  by  the  plastic  hand  of  man." 
This  promenade  is  on  the  side  which  leads  to  the  Big  Twin.  One 
remarkable  feature  of  this  gateway  is  that  near  it  there  was  a 
signal  station  or 
lookout  mound  and 
not  far  from  the 
mound  a  pavement 
or  fire-bed,  beneath 
which  were  traces 
of  fire. 

This  hearth  or 
fire-bed  is  worthy 
of  notice.  The  evi- 
dence is  that  here, 
as  at  the  Farmers- 
ville  Fort,  there 
were  fire  signals. 
The  walls  near  the 
gateway  show  this 
as  well  as  the  pave- 
ment. Near  the 
Big  Twin  works 
there  was  a  trun- 
cated mound  thir- 
teen feet  high  and 
a  pavement  ninety 
feet  square.  Near 
this  pavement  were 
ashpiles,  which  had 
been  poured  over 
the  sides  ot  the  clift, 
until  they  had  at- 
tained a  depth  of 
ten  feet.  The  sym-  ^'^-  ^-c«^'^'^  ^ort. 

holism  connected  with  these  forts  is  somewhat  remarkable. 
Here  we  have  the  fire  at  one  end  of  the  fort  and  the  water  sup- 
ply at  the  other;  the  hearths  or  pavements  connected  with  one 
and  circles  connected  with  the  other.  The  horse-shoe  symbol 
is  contained  in  the  shape  of  the  bluff  itself  and  in  the  stone  en- 
closure on  '^he  summit  of  the  bluff. 

IV.  We  now  come  to  another  class  of  strongholds,  namely 
the  "Stone  Forts."  These  forts  -resemble  the  "Hill  Forts"  and 
may,  by  some,  be  regarded  as  identical.  We  classify  the 
stone  forts  separately.  Our  reasons  for  so  doing  are  as  fol- 
lows:   (i)  They  seem  to  be  more  advanced  in  their  style  and 


210  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

mode  of  construction.  Wherever  they  are  located  they  are 
always  characterized  by  the  same  feature.  They  are  generally 
situated  on  eminences,  where  there  are  rocky  precipices.  (2.)  In 
several  cases  the  precipices  are  veneered  with  artificial  walls 
which  make  a  barrier  against  the  wash  of  streams  and  furnish 
a  foundation  to  the  walls  above.  (2.)  The  gateways  of  the  stone 
forts  are  frequently  quite  elaborate.  The  wall  is  generally 
four  or  five  feet  high  and  varies  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  wide 
at  the  base.  It  is  sometimes  laid  up  in  regular  order,  making  a 
smooth  even  front  with  sharp  angles,  but  generally  is  merely  in 
the  form  of  an  irregular  pile  of  stone,  and  resembles  an  earth 
wall,  except  that  the  material  is  difTerent.  The  question  has 
arisen  whether  the  wall  was  surmounted  by  a  stockade;  on  this 
point  there  is  uncertainty.  The  stone  walls  generally  conform 
to  the  nature  of  the  ground.  Stones  were  employed  because 
they  could  be  readily  procured,  although  the  hammer  had  noth- 
ing to  do  with  the  preparation  of  the  materials,  yet  there  is 
evidence  of  great  labor  and  the  place  of  location  is  selected 
with  a  military  eye.* 

The  stone  forts  may  properly  be  considered  as  belonging  to 
the  village  Mound-builders,  and  perhaps  were  designed  as  es- 
pecial retreats  for  the  villagers.  It  will  be  noticed,  at  least,  that 
in  Ohio  this  kind  of  fort  is  frequently  situated  in  the  midst  of 
square  enclosures,  so  giving  evidence  that  they  were  built  by 
the  same  people. f  In  the  Miami  Valley  there  is  a  square  en- 
closure on  the  terrace,  and  the  fort  is  on  the  hill  near  by.  So 
with  the  fort  at  Bourneville.  This  is  situated  in  the  midst  of  the 
valley  of  Paint  Creek,  and  was  surrounded  by  enclosures,  which 
we  have  imagined  to  be  villages  of  the  sun-worshipers.  The 
same  is  true  of  the  fort  on  Massie's  Creek,  near  the  Big  Miami 
River.  The  stone  fort  near  Manchester,  Tennessee,  and  that  of 
Duck  Creek,  of  the  same  state,  may  be  regarded  as  specimens; 
yet  these  were  located  near  the  walled  villages  of  the  Stone- 
grave  people  and  may  have  been  built  by  that  people.  The 
same  may  be  said  of  the  stone  fort  ot  Southern  Indiana.  This 
last  fort  was  located  on  the  Ohio,  somewhat  remote  from  the 
region  of  the  "sacred  enclosure,"  so  called,  but  there  are  on 
the  White  River  many  earth-works  which  resemble  those  on 
the  Scioto,  and  so  we  place  this  stone  fort  among  the  works  of 
the  sun-worshipers. 

The  subject  ot  symbolism  comes  in  here.  It  is  to  be  noticed 
that  two  of  the  forts" — Bourneville  and  Massie's  Creek,  in  South- 
ern Ohio — have  walls  in  the  shape  of  crescents,  with  mounds 
between  the  walls.  Our  conjecture  is  that  these  were  designed 
as  symbols.  This  last  fort  is  beautifully  situated  on  a  hill-top,  but 
is  attended  with  a  large  square  enclosure  situated  in  the  valley. 
The  fort  has  a  series  of  gateways  guarded  by  conical  mounds, 

♦Haywood's  Tennessee. 

tSee  map  of  Miami  Valley;  also  of  Paint  Creek  and  the  Scioto. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


211 


and  an  outer  wall,  divided  into  four  sections,  in  the  shape  of 
crescents.  See  Fig.  9.  The  enclosure  jis  nearly  square,  and 
is  attended  with  several  earth  embankments,  which  are  also  in 
the  shape  ot  crescents.  The  impression  gained  is  that  here 
was  a  settlement  of  sun-worshipers. 

The  difTerence  in  the  symbolism  of  the  forts  is  to  be  noticed 
in  this  connection.  The  Hill  Forts,  if  they  contain  any  symbol- 
ism, contain  that  of  serpent-worship;  but  the  Stone  Forts  illus- 
trate the  symbolism  of  the  sun-worshipers.  The  Hill  Forts 
were  generally  located  in  a  wild  or  rough  hill  country — a  coun- 
try which  was  probably  occupied  by  hunters.     The  Stone  Forts 


No.  9— Stone  Fori  on  Massie's  Creek. 

were  generally  located  in  regions  favorable  for  agriculture  and 
are  surrounded  by  evidences  of  a  numerous  population;  a  pop- 
ulation which  was  given  to  agriculture.  With  these  conjectures 
we  proceed  to  a  description  of  the  specific  forts. 

I.  One  of  the  best  specimens  of  the  stone  forts  is  at  Bourne- 
ville.  See  Plate  VI.  The  description  of  this  is  given  by  Squier 
and  Davis.  It  occupies  the  summit  ot  a  lofty,  detached  hill 
twelve  miles  west  of  Chillicothe.  The  hill  is  not  far  from  forty 
feet  in  height.  It  is  remarkable  for  the  abruptness  of  its  sides. 
It  projects  midway  into  the  broad  valley  of  Paint  Creek,  and  is 
a  conspicuous  object  from  every  point  of  view.  The  defenses 
consist  of  a  wall  of  stone,  which  is  carried  around  the   hill  a 


212  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

little  below  the  brow,  cutting  off  the  spurs,  but  extending  across 
the  neck  that  connects  the  hill  with  the  range  beyond.  The 
wall  is  a  rude  one,  giving  little  evidence  that  the  stones  were 
placed  upon  one  another  so  as  to  present  vertical  faces,  though 
at  a  tew  points  the  arrangement  lends  to  the  belief  that  the  wall 
may  have  been  regularly  faced  on  the  exterior.  Upon  the  west- 
ern side,  or  steepest  face  of  the  hill,  the  stones  are  placed  so  as  to 
resemble  a  protection  wall.  The}'^  were  probably  so  placed  to 
prevent  the  creek  from  washing  away  the  hill  and  undermining 
the  fort.  Upon  the  eastern  face,  where  the  declivity  is  least 
abrupt,  the  wall  is  heavy  and  resembles  a  stone  heap  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  feet  base  and  four  feet  high.  Where  it  crosses  the 
isthmus  it  is  heaviest.  The  isthmus  is  seven  hundred  feet  wide. 
Here  the  wall  has  three  gateways. 

The  gateways  are  formed  by  curving  inward  the  ends  of  the 
wall  for  forty  or  fifty  feet,  leaving  narrow  passages  not  exceed- 
ing eight  feet  in  width.  At  other  points  where  there  are  jutting 
ridges  are  similar  gateways,  though  at  one  point  a  gateway 
seems  to  have  been  for  some  reason  closed  up.  At  the  gateways 
the  amount  of  stone  is  more  than  quadruple  the  quantity  at 
other  points,  constituting  broad,  mound-shaped  heaps. 

These  stone  mounds  exhibit  the  marks  of  intense  heat,  which 
has  vitrified  the  surfaces  of  the  stones  and  fused  them  together. 
Strong  traces  of  fire  are  visible  at  other  places  on  the  wall,  par- 
ticularly at  F,  the  point  commanding  the  broadest  extent  of 
country.  Here  are  two  or  three  small  stone  mounds  that  seem 
burned  throughout.  Nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  power- 
ful fires  have  been  maintained  for  considerable  periods  at  num- 
erous points  on  the  hill.  There  are  several  depressions  or 
reservoirs,  one  of  which  covers  about  two  acres  and  furnishes 
a  supply  of  water  estimated  as  adequate  to  the  wants  of  a  thou- 
sand head  of  cattle.  The  area  enclosed  within  this  fort  is  some- 
thing over  one  hundred  and  forty  aces,  and  the  line  of  wall 
measures  upwards  of  two  and  a  quarter  miles.  Most  of  the 
wall  and  a  large  portion  of  the  area  was  covered  with  a  heavy 
primitive  forest.  Trees  of  the  largest  size  grew  on  the  line, 
twisting  the  roots  among  the  stones.  The  stones  were  of  all 
sizes,  and  were  abundant  enough  to  have  formed  walls  eight 
feet  thick.  In  the  magnitude  of  the  area  enclosed,  this  work 
exceeds  any  hill-work  now  known  in  the  country,  although  less 
in  length  than  that  of  Fort  Ancient.  It  evinces  great  labor  and 
bears  the  impress  of  a  numerous  people.  The  valley  in  which 
it  is  situated  was  a  favorite  one  with  the  race  of  Mound-builders, 
and  the  hill  overlooks  a  number  of  extensive  groups  of  ancient 
works. 

2.  The  stone  fortifications  in  Clark  County,  Ind.  This  is  a 
very  interesting  fort,  situated  at  the  mouth  of  Fourteen-mile 
Creek,  on  the  Ohio  River,  at  the  point  of  an  elevated,  narrow 
ridge,  which  faces  the  river  on  one  side  and  the  creek  on  the 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS.  213 

* 

Other.  This  fort  presents  many  new  and  strange  features. 
The  ridge  is  pear-shaped,  with  a  narrow  point  to  the  north,  the 
broad  part  toward  the  river.  It  is  two  hundred  and  eighty  feet 
above  the  level  of  the  Ohio,  though  at  the  south  end  there  is  a 
terrace  which  is  sixty  feet  above  the  river.  Along  the  greater 
part  of  the  river  front  there  is  an  abrupt  escarpment  of  rock, 
too  steep  to  be  scaled,  and  a  similar  barrier  on  the  side  facing 
the  creek.  This  natural  wall  is  supplemented  on  the  north  side 
by  an  artificial  stone  wall  made  by  piling  up  loose  stone  without 
mortar.  It  is  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  long.  It  is  built 
along  the  slope  of  the  hill  and  had  an  elevation  of  about  seventy- 
five  feet  above  its  base,  the  upper  ten  feet  being  vertical.  The 
inside  of  the  wail  is  protected  by  a  ditch.  The  ridge  on  the 
south  and  southwest  sides,  or  the  broad  end  of  the  pear,  is  also 
protected  by  an  artificial  wall,  built  in  the  same  way,  but  not 
more  than  ten  feet  high.  The  elevation  of  the  side  wall  above 
the  creek  bottom  is  eighty  feet.  This  artificial  wall  is  supple- 
mented by  a  string  of  mounds  which  abut  against  the  wall  on 
the  inside,  but  which  rise  to  the  height  of  the  wall  throughout 
its  entire  length.  Within  the  fort  there  is  a  ditch  twenty  feet 
wide  and  four  feet  deep,  which  separates  the  mounds  from  the 
enclosure,  or  rather  from  the  ridge,  on  the  summit  of  whieh  the 
fort  was  supposed  to  be.  The  top  of  the  enclosed  ridge  em- 
braced ten  or  twelve  acres.  There  are  as  many  as  five  mounds 
that  can  be  recognized  on  the  flat  surface.  One  near  the  nar- 
rowest part  (the  stem  of  the  pear)  was  so  situated  as  to  command 
an  extensive  view  up  and  down  the  Ohio  River,  as  well  as  an 
unobstructed  view  across  the  river  and  a  creek,  both  east  and 
west.     It  is  designated  as  Lookout  mound. 

The  locality  afforded  many  natural  advantages  for  a  fort  or 
stronghold.  Much  skill  was  displayed  in  rendering  its  defense 
as  perfect  as  possible  at  all  points.  One  feature  about  the  fort 
is  unique.  The  wall  is  made  up  both  of  stone  and  earth,  the 
stone  forming  a  shield  to  the  earth  wall,  part  way  up  on  the 
inside,  and  completely  to  the  summit  on  the  outside,  the  two 
together  forming  an  elevated  platform  which  overlooked  the 
steep  bank  below,  and  ofTered  an  excellent  opportunity  for  de- 
fense. The  wall,  and  accompanying  mound  or  earth-work,  is 
situated  below  the  summit  of  the  ridge  on  an  escarpment  of 
rock,  with  a  ditch  on  the  inside,  so  that  there  was  a  double  de- 
fense, the  wall  itself  serving  as  an  outwork,  and  the  sides  of 
the  ridge  inside  forming  a  second  barrier  fordefense.  Prof.  Cox 
says  of  this  fort:  "In  the  natural  advantages  of  the  location  and 
in  the  execution  of  the  bold  plans  conceived  by  the  engineers 
of  a  primitive  people,  this  fortification  surpasses  any  which  has 
yet  been  found  in  the  State.  The  walls  around  the  enclosure, 
w^hich  fill  up  the  protected  spaces,  are  generally  ten  feet  high, 
but  at  a  naturally  weak  point  on  the  northwest  part  the  gap 
was  closed  by  a  wall  that  from  the  outer  case  to  the  top  was 


214  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

seventy-five  feet  high.  From  the  summit  of  the  ridge,  which  is 
two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  above  the  river,  one  can  look  over  the 
beautiful  scenery  for  a  stretch  of  eight  or  ten  miles  up  or  down 
the  Ohio  River." 

(3.)  Prof  Cox  speaks  of  a  second  fort  or  enclosure,  on  the 
spur  of  a  ridge  skirting  Big  Creek,  m  Jefferson  County.  "The 
ridge  is  protected  on  the  north  and  south  by  a  natural  chff, 
sixty-five  to  eighty  feet  high.  Across  the  narrow  neck  of  the 
spur  of  the  ridge  were  two  artificial  stone  walls,  one  seventy- 
five  feet  long  and  twelve  feet  wide,  and  the  other  four  hundred 
and  twenty-five  feet  long,  leaving  an  enclosure  between  the 
walls  of  twelve  acres.  "The  site  of  this  ancient  dwelling-place, 
like  all  others  visited,  affords  an  extended  view  for  many  miles 
over  the  country,  north,  east  and  south."  Three  stone  mounds 
formerly  could  be  seen,  near  this  fort,  upon  level  ground.  One 
of  them  is  called  the  e^g  mound,  on  account  of  its  shape.  "Stone 
was  hauled  from  these  mounds  for  building  foundations,  fire- 
places and  chimneys  for  all  the  houses  for  miles  around."  "From 
the  great  fortified  town  at  the  mouth  of  Fourteen-mile  Creek 
to  the  fortification  at  Big  Creek,  a  distance  of  about  thirty  miles, 
there  appeared  to  be  a  line  of  antiquities,  that  mark  the  dwell- 
ing-places of  intermediate  colonies;  and  these,  when  pushed  to 
extremes  by  an  invading  foe,  may  have  sought  protection  in  the 
strongholds  at  either  end  of  the  line."* 

V.  A  fifth  mode  of  defense  is  the  one  to  which  we  now  call 
attention.     It  consists  in  the  system  of  "walled  towns"  or  villages. 

We  call  them,  for  the  sake  of  convenience,  "walled  towns". 
This  is  a  significant  term.  It  reminds  us  of  the  "walled  towns" 
of  the  ancient  and  mediaeval  times,  and  suggests  the  idea  that 
these  may  have  been  the  outgrowth  of  such  villages  as  pre- 
vailed in  prehistoric  times.  We  are  to  notice  their  peculiarities. 
Their  peculiarities  were  :  (i.)  The  villages  were  surrounded 
by  walls,  but  were  permanent  residences.  (2.)  The  villages  were 
surrounded  by  ditches,  sometimes  upon  the  outside  of  the  wall 
and  sometimes  on  the  inside.  (3.)  The  rpajority  of  these  walled 
villages  had  some  high  pyramid  or  domiciliary  mound,  which 
answered  in  a  rude  way  to  the  temples.  (4.)  There  was  always 
a  lookout  mound  in  connection  with  the  walled  village,  which 
served  the  same  purpose  as  a  tower.  (5.)  In  many  of  the  walled 
villages  the  domiciliary  mound  was  located  in  the  midst  of  the 
lodge  circles,  tiie  arrangement  of  the  lodges  being  around  a 
square,  the  chief 's  house  being  in  the  square.  (5.)  Burial  mounds 
are  frequently  found  in  these  villages.  These  contain  the  great- 
est store  of  relics,  giving  the  idea  that  care  for  the  property  as 
well  as  for  the  remains  of  the  dead,  was  one  element  of  village 
life.     Let  us  consider  the  different  classes: 

Among  the  hunter  tribes  the  walled  village   embodied  it- 

*See  Geological  Report  for  1874,  p.  36. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 


215 


self  in  the  stockade,  a  single  enclosure  constituting  the  defense. 
Among  the  sun-worshipers  the  walled  villages  contained  three 
enclosures,  though  the  object  of  these  enclosures  is  now  un- 
known. Some  have  accounted  for  these  enclosures  by  imagin- 
ing that  the  square  was  designed  for  the  residence  of  the  chiefs, 
corresponding  to  the  public  square  of  the  southern  Indians.  The 
larger  circle  was  the  residence  ot  the  people,  and  included  the 
corn-fields  and  kitchen  gardens,  while  the  small  circle  was  the 
residence  of  the  priest  or  medicine  man.  Among  the  stone  grave 
people  the  walled  village  consisted  of  a  wall,  without  bastions, 


.#|to^^ 


Fig.  10,— A  Mandan  Fort. 

surrounding  the  village  in  the  form  of  a  semi-circle.  Within  this 
wall  is  found  a  series  of  earth-works — pyramids,  cones,  burial 
mounds,  etc.  These  are  very  common  in  Tennessee.  They 
may  be  called  the  mountain  villages,  or  their  builders  may 
be  called  the  mountain  mound-builders.  We  give  this  name  to 
them,  not  because  they  are  on  the  mountams  but  because  they 
are  in  a  mountainous  region,  the  Appalachian  range  being 
the  only  mountains  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  or  in  other  words, 
the  only  mountains  in  the  Mound-builders'  territory. 

Another  class  of  walled  villages  is  the  one  found  in  Arkan- 
sas, among  the  cypress  swamps.  It  consists  of  a  square  enclos- 
ure with  an  earth  wall  on  all  sides,  the  enclosure  being  filled 


216 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


with  lodge  circles  arranged  in  rows  around  an  open  square.  In 
these  villages  there  are  large  domiciliary  mounds  in  the  shape 
of  pyramids,  and  many  comical  mounds.  There  is  a  resem- 
blance between  these  villages  and  those  of  Tennessee;  the 
shape  of  the  enclosure  is  the  main  point  of  difference.  A  spec- 
imen of  the  fourth  class  of  walled  villages  is  found  at  Savannah, 
Tennessee.  This  is  a  square  shaped  enclosure.  A  peculiarity 
of  it  is  the  wall  is  built  with  bastions  or  redoubts  resembling 
those  of  modern  forts. 

We  will  illustrate  the  subject  by  specimens  of  walled  villages, 
(i.)  The  first  is  one  common  among  the  Indians,  such  as  the 
Mandans.  This  consisted  in  a  mere  group  of  lodges  arranged 
around  a  square.  Some  of  the  Mandan  villages  seem  to  have 
had  walls  with  bastions.     See  Fig.  lo.     This  reminds  us  of  the 


Fig.  ll.—Walled  Town  on  the  Big  Harpeih. 

ancient  village  called  Aztalan,  in  Wisconsin,  which  also  had 
bastions  and  outworks.  (2.)  The  villages  found  in  the  State  of 
Tennessee.  Mr.  Jones  says,  "On  the  southwestern  side  of  the 
Big  Harpeth  River,  about  two  and  a  half  miles  from  Frank- 
lin, Tennessee,  is  an  earth-work  which  encloses  about  thirty- 
two  acres  of  land.  See  Fig.  11.  It  is  in  the  form  of  a 
crescent,  which  is  3,800  feet  in  length,  situated  on  a  perpendic- 
ular bluff  forty  feet  above  the  waters  edge.  It  was  admirably 
chosen  for  defense.  Within  the  earth-works  are  nine  mounds, 
the  largest,  marked  A,  resembles  a  parallelogram  two  hundred 
and  thirty  feet  in  length,  ten  feet  in  breadth  and  sixteen  feet  in 
height.  The  remaining  mounds  vary  from  one  hundred  to 
twenty-five  feet  in  diameter  and  one  to  four  feet  in  height." 
The  large  oblong  mound  contained  an  altar  with  ashes  and 
charcoal  resting  on  it;  this  is  near  the  original  surface  of  the 
earth,  and  the  mound  seemed  to  have  been  erected  upon  the 
ahar.     Four  mounds,  marked  B,  C,  D  and  F,  also  contained  evi- 


STOCKADE    AND   STONE    FORTS   IN   OHIO. 


STOCKADE   FORTS   IN   NORTHERN   OHIO. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS   OF  THE    MOUND-BUILDERS.        217 


dence  of  hot  fires  in  a  red  burnt  stratum,  resembling  brick  in 
hardness.  The  tort  represented  in  the  cut,  Fig.  ii,  is  also 
situated  on  the  Big  Harpeth,  about  six  miles  from  Franklin. 
This  fort  contains  twelve  acres.  It  has  a  crescent-shaped  wall 
surrounding  it,  2,470  feet  in  length.  There  are  two  pyramids 
at  one  side  of  the  enclosure.  One  of  them  (A)  is  65  x  112 
feet  at  the  base  and  eleven  feet  high;  the  other  (B)  is  60  x  70 
feet  at  the  base  and  nine  feet  high.  This  enclosure  contains  a 
large  number  of  stone  graves,  arranged  in  rows  at  either  side 
of  the  village.  The  probability  is  that  the  lodge  sites  of  the 
villagers  were   contained  within   this    fort,  and  the  pyramids 


^^mmmimm'-^:.. 


marked  the  sites  of  the  houses  of  the  chiefs,  the  burial  place 
Many  such  stockade  forts  have  been  found  in  Tennessee. 
They  contain  but  one  enclosure,  and  in  this  respect  differ  from 
the  walled  villages,  or  sacred  enclosures,  of  Ohio,  many  ot 
which  have  three  enclosures  connected  with  one  another,  as 
well  as  covered  ways,  joined  by  parallel  walls,  which  connect 
the  enclosures  with  streams,  the  fields,  and  sometimes  with  the 
dance  circles. 

Descriptions  of  these  stockade  villages  have  been  furnished 
by  Gen.  G.  P.  Thruston  in  his  book  on  "The  Antiquities  of 
Tennessee,"  by  Prof.  F.  W.  Putnam  in  the  Reports  of  the 
Peabody  Museum,  and  xMr.  Joseph  Jones  in  his  work  on  "The 
Aboriginal  Remains  of  Tennessee."    They  were  not  the  only 


218  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

forts,  for  Mr.  Jones  has  described  a  stone  fort  on  Duck  Creek, 
though  it  had  been  previously  described  by  Mr.  Haywood.  He 
says: 

The  wall  is  composed  of  loose  rocks,  the  fortification  is  from  four  to 
ten  feet  high.  Where  the  bluff  is  steep,  the  wall  ceases.  The  fort  is  on 
the  bluff,  or  on  a  tongue  of  land,  between  two  forks  of  a  stream,  and  is 
separated  from  the  main  land  by  a  gullev,  60  feet  in  depth  and  40  to  100 
feet  wide,  and  a  high  limestone  ridge,  called  the  "Backbone."  Outside  of 
the  guUey,  the  entrance  to  the  fort  resembles  that  which  was  common  in  the 
stone  forts  of  Ohio,  as  there  are  parallel  walls  which  extend  into  the  en- 
closure; one  of  which  bends  at  right  angles,  thus  making  a  cul-de-sac, 
Defensive  towers,  about  sixteen  feet  square  and  ten  feet  high,  made  of  stone, 
are  situated  at  the  opening  to  the  fort.  Many  relics  were  found  in  this  fort, 
among  them  a  remarkable  stone  pipe,  carved  in  the  shape  of  a  hawk. 
Images,  or  idols,  representing  human  figures — male  and  female — have  been 
found  in  a  rock  mound  near  Pulaski,  and  many  pottery  vessels,  having  the 
human  form,  either  seated  or  kneeling,  generally  with  the  face  upturned, 
but  with  retreating  foreheads, 

An  explanation  of  these  idols  and  vessels  is  found  in  the 
fact  that  the  Choctaws  flatten  the  foreheads  of  the  children, 
making  them  resemble  the  Flatheads  of  Oregon  though  they, 
with  the  Chickesaws,  formerly  occupied  the  region  now  em- 
braced by  the  Gulf  States,  including  that  west  of  the  Cumber- 
land River.  They  probably  were  the  occupants  of  these  stock- 
ade forts,  and  left  the  idols  and  pottery  relics  in  the  region. 
Idols  resembling  them  have  been  found  in  the  mounds  and 
scattered  over  the  village  sites  of  the  South.  The  Natchez 
occupied  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi  River  to  the  west,  but 
were  mainly  confined  to  the  west  side. 

Du  Pratz.  who  lived  among  the  Natchez,  says  that  their  ter- 
ritory extended  from  the  sea  to  the  Wabash  River,  and  that 
they  practised  human  sacrifices  similar  to  the  Aztecs,  and  had 
retreating  foreheads,  like  the  Toltecs,  who  weresun-worshippers. 

There  is  no  region  that  has  such  a  variety  of  relics,  as  that 
in  which  are  found  the  stone  graves  and  the  stockade  villages. 
There  are  paint  cups,  and  chunkey-stones,  and  discs,  besides 
many  spool  ornaments  and  copper  implements  of  various  kinds, 
but  the  engraved  shell  gorgets  are  the  most  mteresting.  These 
contain  symbols  of  the  sun,  moon  and  stars;  also  circles, looped, 
squares  with  a  cross  in  the  center  and  birds'  heads  projecting 
from  the  sides;  also  coiled  serpents,  and  many  other  figures. 
Here  pottery  impressed  with  fabrics,  shows  the  pattern  of  the 
weaving.     Spinning  whorls  are  also  common. 

The  evidence  is  that  the  villages,  or  stockade  forts,  were 
connected  with  one  another  and  in  harmony,  while  the  open 
land  was  used  for  hunting  and,  perhaps,  for  agricultural  pur- 
poses, but  there  was  no  such  attempt  to  protect  the  people  as 
they  went  to  and  fro  from  the  villages,  as  was  common  in  south- 
ern Ohio.  Another  peculiarity  of  the  stockade  villages  was 
that  many  of  them  contained  pyramids,  which  were  probably 
occupied  by  the  chiefs  and  ruling  classes,  resembling  the 
pyramids  in  the  Gulf  States. 


VIII 


STOCKADE    FORTS   IN   SOUTHERN   OHIO. 


FxaaLVSS&a 


FORTS   AND   VILLAGE   SITES   IN    NORTH   CAROLINA. 


FORT   WITH    BASTIONS   IN   TENNUSSEE. 


DEFENSIVE  WORKS  OF  THE   MOUND-BUlLDERS.       219 


Prof.  Putnam  speaks  of  some  of  these  pyramids  as  present- 
ing the  traces  of  council  houses,  or  great  houses.  Some  of 
them  show  a  succession  of  such  houses,  giving  the  idea  that 
they  had  been  burned  and  rebuilt,  but  with  intervals  of  time 
between  them. 

There  are  other  forts  in  this  region  which  resemble  the  well- 
known  fort  at  Aztlan  in  Wisconsin,  as  they  are  built  in  rect- 
angular shape,  open  on  the  river  banks,  and  are  furnished  with 
bastions,  which  project  from  the  wall,  but  there  are  no  efifigies 
near  them. 

VI.  There  are  villages  in  Arkansas  and  Missouri  which  are 
situated  in  the  midst  of  the  cypress  swamps,  but  resemble  in 
man)'  respects  those  just  described.  They  contain  a  large  num- 
ber of  hut  rings,  or  lodge  circles,  arranged  generally  m  rows, 
but  leaving  an  open  space  in  the  center,  with  pyramid  mounds 


tm^  «w.   Airt.K.^ 


Uotik  Cm^C^p9f 


I 


Swamp   Village   iVilh  Defence!:  and  Lodge    Circles. 

in  the  midst  of  the  rings,  and  a  wall  surrounding  them,  but  vviih 
a  ditch  on  the  outside  of  the  wall.  These  villages  were  de- 
fended in  three  ways:  they  were  in  the  midst  of  the  Cypress 
swamps,  and  were  difficult  of  access,  in  fact  they  were  hidden 
away  in  the  swamps  as  thoroughly  as  the  forts  were  which 
De  Soto  found  in  the  swamps  of  Florida;  the  ditch  surrounding 
them  resembled  those  which  surrounded  the  villages  of  the 
Gulf  States;  the  pyramids  inside  of  the  walls  furnished  a  last 
resort  to  the  people  in  the  case  of  an  attack.  These  walled 
villages  were  evidently  erected  by  an  agricultural  people,  who 
also  gathered  subsistence  from  the  wild  fruit  which  grew  in 
the  swamps,  and  the  fish  as  well  as  the  birds  and  animals  of 
the  forests,  and  so  combined  the  three  kinds  of  employment 
in  one — fishing,  hunting  and  tilling  the  soil. 

This  people  were  great   pottery  makers,  for  a  very  large 
number  of  pottery  vessels  have  been  found  on  the  village  sites, 


2*20  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

some  of  which  have  been  gathered  into  the  museum  iri 
St.  Louis,  and  have  been  described  in  the  reports  of  the 
Academy  of  Sciences  in  that  city.  The  relics  discovered  on 
the  village  sites  resemble  those  found  near  the  great  Cahokia 
Mound  opposite  St.  Louis.  Among  these  relics  are  shell 
gorgets  and  inscribed  plates,  which  are  very  interesting,  for  they 
contain  the  same  symbols  as  those  found  in  the  stone  graves 
of  Tennessee,  and  represent  the  same  kind  of  religion. 

Who  they  were  that  occupied  these  villages  is  unknown,  but 
they  had  the  same  method  of  defense  and  apparently  the  same 
form  of  government  as  the  Stone  Grave  people,  but  differed 
mainly  in  the  fact  that  they  were  among  the  Cypress  swamps. 
This  resemblance  of  the  pottery  relics  and  the  shell  gorgets  to 
those  found  in  the  stone  graves,  refutes  the  idea  that  the  latter 
were  built  by  the  Shawnees,  and  confirms  the  supposition  that 
the  Southern  Mound-Builders  once  extended  north  as  far  as 
St.  Louis,  the  mouth  of  the  Ohio  and  the  Wabash,  and,  perhaps, 
along  the  valley  of  the  Illinois  River,  for  shell  gorgets  have 
been  found  in  the  latter  region,  which  resemble  those  found  on 
the  Cumberland. 

The  lodge  circles  contained  in  these  swamp  villages  are 
very  numerous,  and  pyramids  are  always  found  near  them,  but 
with  an  open  space  or  public  square  in  front  of  the  pyramids. 
The  pyramids  varied  from  i6  to  20  feet  in  height,  with  a  base 
of  120  X  250  to  210  to  270  feet,  and  the  summit  varying  from 
120  X  250  to  1 10  X  165  feet.  The  burial  mounds  within  the  con- 
fines of  the  settlements  contain  a  large  number  of  bodies, 
generally  from  lOO  to  200.  They  also  contain  from  800  to  1,000 
specimens  of  pottery  and  other  relics.  The  relics  most  num- 
erous in  these  settlements  are  articles  for  household  use  and 
agricultural  tools,  but  there  is  a  scarcity  of  implements  of  war. 
Pottery  is  found  in  the  greatest  abundance,  also  beautiful  speci- 
mens of  spades  and  hoes,  several  engraved  shells  bearing  ti.e 
figures  of  spiders  and  human  forms  and  other  symbols,  but  very 
little  copper. 

The  conclusion  which  we  draw  from  these  facts,  is  that  the 
mound-building  tribes  all  dwelt  in  villages,  but  had  different 
methods  of  defence, — methods  which  were  best  adapted  to  the 
region  occupied,  for  those  who  dwelt  in  the  hill  country  had 
what  are  called  "  Hill  P'orts";  those  who  dwelt  upon  the  river 
banks  and  in  the  midst  of  forests,  surrounded  their  villages 
with  stockades;  those  in  the  midst  of  swamps  depended  upon 
their  isolation,  yet  all  continued  their  village  life,  notwith- 
standing the  dangers  by  which  they  were  surrounded. 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  221 


CHAPTER  XII, 


RELIGIOUS  WORKS  OF  THE  MOUND-BUILDERS. 

NORTHERN    DISTRICT. 

We  have  undertaken  in  this  chapter  to  give  a  map  of  the  re- 
ligion of  the  Mound-builders.  To  some  it  may  seem  to  be  a 
Utopian  scheme,  only  based  upon  speculation,  but  we  maintain 
that  the  effort  is  not  only  useful  in  giving  us  more  definite  con- 
ceptions of  the  different  phases  of  that  religion,  but  in  reality  is 
correct  in  its  classification.  The  following  particulars  will  show 
this :  1 .  The  religious  systems  in  the  map  correspond  to  the  ethnic 
divisions  of  the  Mound-builders'  territory  which  we  have  already 
made.  These  divisions  indicate  that  there  were  different  races 
occupying  different  districts,  and  the  present  view  not  only  con- 
firms this,  but  indicates  that  the  races  had  systems  of  religion 
which  were  distinct  and  different  from  one  another. 

2.  The  classification  of  the  religious  system  corresponds  with 
that  of  the  works  and  relics,  and  so  proves  that  the  religious  cult 
had  much  to  do  in  giving  them  their  special  characteristics. 

3.  The  map  shows  that  there  was  a  progress  in  the  jeli;jious 
cult  which  corresponded  to  the  other  lines  of  progress  made  by 
the  Mound-builders.  The  different  stages  of  progress  may  be 
recognized  in  each  district  as  we  pass  over  their  territory. 
The  northern  districts  were  evidently  occupied  by  totemistic 
hunter  tribes;  their  works  consist  mainly  of  burial  mounds,  animal 
effigies  and  the  remains  of  stockades  of  forts  and  villages.  The 
middle  districts  by  a  class  of  agriculturist'?,  who  were  evidently 
sun  worshipers;  their  works  consist  of  three  classes — pyramids, 
sacred  enclosures  and  large  mounds  which  contain  chambered 
tombs.  1  he  southern  districts  by  sedentary  tribes,  who  were 
pyramid-builders  and  sun  worshipers,  and  who  were  idolaters. 

4.  The  different  phases  of  nature  worship  given  by  this  map 
have  been  recognized  among  historic  races.  We  maintain  that 
they  really  originated  among  prehistoric  races.  Some  of  these 
are  rude  and  primitive,  but  they  wonderfully  illustrate  the  sys- 
tems that  prevailed  in  ancient  times,  and  help  us  to  understand 
the  origin  and  growth  of  the  different  historic  faiths.  They  seem 
to  be  mere  superstitions  and  unregulated  fancies  of  rude  savages; 
but  in  them  we  find  the  beginnings  of  that  extensive  system 
which  grew  into  so  many  elaborate  faiths  and  forms.  We  are  thus 
brought  to  the  threshold  of  a  great  mystery  and  into  the  midst  of 
a  deep  problem,  the  whole  field  of  comparative  religions  having 


222  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

suddenly  opened  before  our  vision,  and  the  relation  of  man's 
religion  to  his  environment  rising  like  a  mountain  in  the  back- 
ground. 

5.  There  was  evidently  a  supra-naturalism  among  the  native 
races,  which  was  dim  and  shadowy,  but  as,  among  the  Mound- 
builders,  it  embodied  itself  in  the  relics  and  in  the  earth-works 
it  becomes  an  object  of  study,  and  so  we  may  define  each  phase 
by  referring  to  these  material  forms.  We  do  not  claim  that  any 
one  system  was  exclusive  of  all  others,  for  the  systems  are  often 
mingled  together;  yet  there  was  such  a  predominance  of  one 
over  the  other  that  we  may  take  the  map  as  a  fair  picture  of  the 
different  systems.  The  complications  are,  to  be  sure,  numerous 
and  the  tokens  varied,  but  the  geographical  divisions  separate 
them  suflSciently  and  we  may  actually  decide  what  the  character- 
istic of  each  cult  was. 

6.  The  religious  sentiment  was  strong  avnong  the  native  races  of 
America.  It  seems  to  have  manifested  itself  in  different  ways  in 
different  localities,  showing  that  it  was  everywhere  subject  to 
the  influence  of  climate,  soil,  scenery,  and  physical  surround- 
ings. It  largely  partook  of  the  character  of  nature  worship,  but 
obeyed  the  law  of  natural  development.  If  we  take  a  map  of 
the  continent  and  'draw  lines  across  it,  somewhat  correspond- 
ing to  the  lines  of  latitude,  we  will  find  that  this  map  not  only 
represents  the  different  climates  and  occupations,  but  the  re- 
ligions of  the  aborigines.  What  is  more,  these  different  religions 
will  embrace  nearly  all  of  those  systems  which  have  been 
ascribed  to  nature  worship  :  Shamanism  prevailing  among  the 
ice  fields  of  the  north  ;  animism  having  its  chief  abode  in  the 
forest  belt;  totemism,  its  chief  sway  among  the  hunter  tribes 
that  inhabited  the  country  near  the  chain  of  the  great  lakes; 
serpent  worship  in  the  middle  district;  sun  worship  among  the 
southern  tribes,  and  an  advanced  stage  of  the  nature  worship 
among  the  civilized  races  of  the  southwest. 

The  divisions  in  the  map  correspond  with  the  divisions  of 
various  Indian  tribes  or  races,  which  are  known  to  have  inhab- 
ited the  country  at  the  time  of  the  opening  of  history,  thus 
showing  that  there  were  ethnic  causes  that  produced  the  differ- 
ent systems  of  religion  among  them.  There  is  a  wonderful 
correspondence  between  the  systems  which  prevailed  in  the 
modern  Indian  and  the  mound-building  period,  showing  that  the 
native  races  were  affected  by  their  surroundings. 

7.  In  reference  to  the  geography  of  the  religion  of  the  Mound- 
builders,  we  conclude  that  the  key  is  found  in  the  physical  envi- 
ronment. If  among  them  there  was  a  system  illustrating  the 
stages  through  which  religion  passes  on  its  way  to  the  higher 
historic  faiths,  this  corresponded  to  the  social  status,  grades  of 
progress  and  geographical  districts  among  the  Mound-builders, 
and  is  to  be  studied  in  the  material  relics  and  tokens  which  are 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP. 


223 


to  be  found  in  the  different  districts.  The  picture  which  is  pre- 
sented by  the  larger  map  is  concentrated  into  a  smaller  compass, 
the  different  forms  of  nature  worship  having  embodied  themselves 
in  the  works  and  relics  of  this  mysterious  people.  Here  then 
we  have  a  schedule  by  which  we  may  classify  the  different  sys- 
tems as  they  appear  before  us.  Recognizing  the  various  aborig- 
nal  religions  in  the  different  districts,  we  find  in  them  the  various 
phases  of  nature  worship,  and  so  can  follow  that  worship  through 
its  different  stages. 

The  order  of  succession  in  the  line  of  growth,  would  be  about 
as  follows  :  We  find  a  trace  of  animism  predominating  among 
the  wild  tribes,  which  consisted  in  giving  a  soul  to  everything, 
but  this  prevailing  among  the  Mound-builders  led  them  to  erect 
many  chambered  mounds  and  to  take  great  care  in  depositing 
relics  in  them. 

The  same  animal  worship  that  led  the  native  tribes  to  the  recog- 


Fiij.  1 — Mound  on  the  Iowa  River. 

nition  of  the  animals  as  their  divinities  led  the  Mound-builders 
to  erect  animal  effigies  on  the  soil.  The  system  of  sun  worship 
which  led  the  agriculturist  to  regard  the  sun  as  his  great  divinity 
would  lead  the  Mound-builders  to  embody  the  sun  symbols  in 
their  works.  The  system  which  led  the  civilized  races  to  erect 
vast  pyramids  of  stones  and  consecrate  shrines  to  the  sun  divin- 
ity on  the  summit,  induced  the  Mound-builders  to  erect  their 
earth-works  in  the  shape  of  the  pyramids  and  place  images  upon 
the  summits.  These  different  phases  of  nature  worship  only 
illustrate  the  law  of  parallel  development,  a  law  which  prevailed 
in  prehistoric  tribes  as  well  as  in  historic.  We  are,  however,  to 
remember  that  there  are  no  hard  and  fast  lines  by  which  these 
systems  were  separated,  for  they  were  blended  together  every- 
where, the  only  difference  being  that  one  system  was  more  prom- 
inent than  the  other.  We  take  the  different  districts  and  learn 
from  the  works  and  relics  that  these  embodied  the  religions  of 
the  Mound-builders,  but  at  the  same  time  see  the  shading  of  one 
into  the  other,  and  avoid  making  the  divisions  arbitrary. 

I.  Let  us  take  the  system  of  animism.  This,  in  the  larger  field 
and  among  the  living  races,  was  the  religion  of  the  savages  and 
belonged  to  the   lowest  stages   of  human   development.      Ani- 


224 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


mism  prevailed  among  the  Mound-builders.  Among  them  it 
was  also  the  lowest  form  of  religion.  Remains  of  it  are,  to  be 
sure,  occasionally  seen  among  the  higher  stages,  but  it  was, 
nevertheless,  a  superstition  of  the  savages.  The  essence  of  ani- 
mism consisted  in  ascribing  a  soul  to  everything,  and  making 
the  soul  of  material  things  about  as  important  as  the  human 
soul.  The  savage,  when  he  buried  the  body  of  the  dead,  depos- 
ited the  various  belongings  with  the  body,  for  he  thought  that 
the  spirit  would  use  the  weapons  and  relics  in  the  land  of  the 
shades.  With  the  Mound-builders  the  same  superstition  pre- 
vailed, but  with  them  it  was  often  the  custom  to  break  the  relics 
in  order  to  let  out  the  soul.  It  was  to  the  same  superstition 
that  chambers  and  vaults,  resembling  the  houses  and  tents  of 
the  chiefs,  were  left  in  the  center  of  the  mounds  and  that  the 
bodies  were  placed  inside  these  vaults.  The  thought  was  that 
the  spirit  remained  ;  every  individual  having  a  double  lodge,  one 
occupied  before  death,  the  other  to  remain  inhabited  after  death. 
We  give  a  series  of  cuts  which  illustrate  the  points  referred 


Fig.  2.— Mound  near  East  Dubuque. 


liffiDBt 


to.  It  will  be  noticed  that  in  each  of  these  the  mound  contains 
a  chamber,  and  in  the  chambt:r  are  skeletons,  and  with  the 
skeletons  are  relics  which  were  used  in  the  life-time;  the  idea 
bein^  that  the  soul  needed  the  same  after  death.  The  first 
figure  (see  Fig.  i)  illustrates  a  mound  situated  on  the  Iowa 
River,  a  region  where  hunter  i aces  are  known  to  have  lived; 
in  this  mound  is  a  stone  vault  having  the  shape  of  an  arch,  and  in 
the  vault  a  single  skeleton,  silling,  with  a  pottery  vessel  by  its 
side.  The  next  (see  Figs.  2  and  4)  represent  a  mound  situated 
on  a  high  bluff  on  the  Mississippi  River  in  East  Dubuque.  In 
this  mound  was  a  cell  divided  into  three  apartments :  in  the 
central  apartment  were  eight  skeletons  silling  in  a  circle,  while 
in  the  center  of  the  circle  was  a  drir.king  vessel  made  of  a  sea 
shell;  the  other  cells  are  said  to  have  contained  chocolate-colored 
dust,  which  had  a  very  offensive  odor.  The  whole  chambe»- 
was  covered  with  a  layer  of  poles  or  logs,  above  which  were 
several  layers  of  cement,  made  partly  of  lime.  Another  figure 
(see  Fig.  3)  represents  a  burial  mound  containing  a  chamber, in 
the  bottom  of  which  were  several  skeletons,  a  lop  covering  of 
sand,  a  layer  of  clay,  a  layer  of  hard  clay  mixed  with  ashes, 
and   a  layer  of  mortar  over  the    bones.     This  mound  was  in 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  225 

Crawford  County,  Wisconsin,  in  the  region  of  the  effifjv  mounds. 
Another  figure  (see  Fig,  5)  represents  a  chambered  mound  in 
Missouri.  The  vault  in  this  mound  was  rectangular,  and  was 
built  and  was  laid  up  with  stones  very  much  like  a  modern  build- 
ing, but  has  a  passage-way  at  the  side  which  reminds  us  of  the 
European  cists  or  dolmens.  It  is  a  remarkable  specimen  of  the 
handiwork  of  the  Mound-builders.  Whether  these  difTerent 
chambers  or  vaults  can  be  regarded  as  representing  the  houses 
of  the  Mound-builders  is  a  question;  but  the  fact  that  they  are 
in  the  burial  mounds,  and  so  many  of  them  contain  relics  and 
remains,  would  indicate  that  such  was  the  case. 

We  have  said  that  burial  mounds  of  hunter  tribes  were  gener- 
ally stratified.  We  find,  however,  stratified  mounds  containing 
pottery  vessels  near  the  heads,  as  though  there  was  an  association 
of  the  spirit  with  the  vessel.  We  find  also  groups  of  lodge 
circles  on  the  sites  of  villages,  but  within  the  circles  are  bodies 
and  relics,  giving  the  idea  that  they  were  buried  within  the  lodge. 
It  was  the  custom  of  certain  tribes  to  bury  the  body  on  the  very 
spot  where  life  had  departed.     The  tent  and  its  furniture  and 


O^.-    <2<. 


Fig.  3. — Mound  in  Crawford  County,   Wisconsi7i. 

equipments  were  either  burned  or  removed,  but  the  body  re- 
mained where  it  was.  May  we  not  ascribe  these  lodge  circles 
to  the  same  superstition?  It  was  the  custom,  also,  of  other 
tribes  to  bury  the  body  in  the  very  attitude  which  it  assumed  in 
''  articulo  mortis''.  May  not  this  explain  the  peculiar  attitude  of 
some  of  the  bodies  found  in  the  tops  of  the  mounds,  where  the 
face  rests  upon  the  hands,  the  body  on  the  sides  with  the  knees 
drawn  to  the  chin  ?  It  was  the  custom  of  the  Dakota  tribes  to 
remove  the  sod  and  expose  the  soil  for  the  sacred  rites  of  cer- 
tain feasts,  as  the  Master  of  Life  was  supposed  to  dwell  in  the 
soil.  The  sacred  pipes  and  other  eniblems  were  placed  near 
the  fresh  earth,  as  if  to  be  offered  to  the  spirit  which  dwelt  there. 
May  not  this  same  superstition,  that  the  soul  or  spirit  of  life  was 
in  the  soil,  account  for  the  burial  customs  which  were  embodied 
in  the  mound?  The  sam.e  punctillious  care  over  the  details  of 
burial  was  observed  in  prehistoric  times  that  is  now  seen  in  the 
sacred  ceremonies  of  the  modern  historic  tribes.  We  cannot 
dwell  upon  this  subject,  but,  doubtless,  if  we  understood  the  cus- 
toms.of  the  Mound-builders  better,  we  should  find  that  there* 
was  not  a  single  item  which  did  not  have  its  special  significance. 
Great   variety  is,  to   be   sure,  manifested  in   the  burial  mounds. 


226 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


Fig.  U.— Skeletons  at  East  Dubvque. 


Some  contain  rehcs,  the  very  relics  which  had  been  used  during 
the  life  ot  the  deceased;  the  bodies  of  children  being  covered 
with  bone  beads,  the  very  beads  that  had  been  worn  as  neck- 
laces and  wristlets;  the  bodies  of  warriors  being  attended  by  the 
arrows,  axes,  spear  heads,  badges,  gorgets  and  ornaments  which 

they  had  carried  through  life;  the 
3,^  bodies  of  chiefs  being  attended 
'5I  with  pipes,  spool  ornaments, 
'{A  pearl  beads  and  many  other 
precious  relics,  which  were  their 
personal  belongings.  Vases  filled 
with  sweetmeats  were  sometimes 
buried  near  the  children ;  pottery 
vessels  and  domestic  utensils  near 
the  heads  of  females,  and  brood- 
ing ornaments  or  bird-shaped 
relics,  used  as  the  signs  of  mater- 
nity. Even  tender  fabrics,  such  as  the  cloth  woven  from  hem.p, 
feather  robes  and  coverings,  made  from  the  hair  of  the  rabbit, 
delicate  needles  made  from  bone  and  from  copper,  spool  orna- 
ments made  from  wood  and  covered  with  copper  and  sometimes 
with  silver ;  in  fact,  all  the  articles  that  made  up  the  toilet  of 
women  or  furnished  equipments  for  men,  or  were  playthings  of 
children,  were  deposited  at  times  in  the  mounds,  not  as  offerings 
to  the  sun  divinity,  nor  the  serpent  or  fire,  but  as  gifts  or  pos- 
sessions to  which  the  spirit  ot  the  dead  had  a  right, 

II.  We  now  come  to  the  second  form  of  nature  worship.  This 
prevailed  chiefly  among  the  Mound-builders,  though  we  some- 
times recognize  it  among  living  tribes.  It  is  the  system  of  animal 
worship — the  normal  cult  ot  the  hunter 
tribes.  According  to  this  system,  the 
animals  were  frequently  regarded  as 
divinities.  They  were  the  ancestors  of 
the  clans,  as  well  as  their  protectors,  and 
gave  their  names  to  the  clans.  This 
system  prevailed  among  the  northern  and 
eastern  tribes,  such  as  the  Iroquois,  the 
Algonquins.  Chippeways  or  Ubjibways, 
and,  to  a  certain  extent,  the  Dakotas, 
though  among  the  latter  it  was  greatly 
modified.  It  prevailed  especially  through 
the  northern  districts  and  along  the  chain 
of  great  lakes.  Its  peculiarity  was  that  the  people  were  not 
permitted  to  eat  the  flesh  of  the  animal  whose  emblem  they  bore, 
nor  were  they  permitted  even  to  marry  into  the  clan  of  the  same 
animal  name ;  a  most  remarkable  system  when  we  consider  its 
effect  upon  the  details  of  society  and  its  influence  in  the  tribal 
organization.      The   same   .system   prevailed   on    the    northwest 


Fig. .').— Chambered  Mound. 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  227 

coast,  but  it  was  here  modified  by  the  presence  of  human  images 
carved  into  genealogical  trees,  with  the  thunder-bird  generally 
surmounting  the  column. 

This  system  prevailed  among  the  Mound-builders,  especially 
in  the  northern  districts.  It  was  embodied  in  the  effigies  which 
are  so  numerous  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin,  but  was  also  exercised 
by  those  people  who  have  left  so  many  animal  figures  made  in 
effigy  from  standing  stones  which  are  found  in  Dakota  Descrip- 
tions of  these  effigies  have  been  given  by  the  author  in  the  book 
on  "  Emblematic  Mounds."  Other  specimens  have  been  discov- 
ered since  the  volume  was  published.  We  maintain  that  there 
were  three  specific  uses  made  of  these  effigies — the  same  uses 
which  may  be  recognized  in  the  totem  posts  of  the  northwest 
coast.     They  are  as  follows : 

I.  The  perpetuity  of  the  clan  name.  In  the  totem  posts  the 
clan  name  was  mingled  with  the  family  history,  but  generally 
surmounting  the  column,  the  genealogical  record  of  the  family 


Pig.  6.—  Totenvi  in  Wiscoi%sin. 

being  contained  in  the  elaborate  carvings  found  below.  They 
might  be  called  ancestor  posts,  for  the  name  or  image  of  each 
ancestor  was  given,  a  great  effort  being  made  to  extend  the 
genealogical  line  as  far  as  possible.  This  same  use  of  animal 
figures  as  tribal  or  clan  signs,  designed  to  represent  the  clan 
names,  may  be  recognized  in  some  of  the  old  deeds  which  were 
given  by  the  Iroquois  to  the  whites.*  Here  the  bear,  the  turkey 
and  the  wolf  are  drawn  on  paper  to  signify  the  clan  emblem  of 
the  chief  The  same  custom  has  been  recognized  in  the  emblem- 
atic mounds,  with  this  difference:  instead  of  being  written  on 
paper  or  carved  in  wood,  in  this  case  the  totems  were  moulded  into 
earth-works;  massive  effigies  of  eagles,  swallows.wolvcs,squirresl, 
bears,  panthers,  turtles,  coons,  buffaloes  and  other  animals,  and 
having  been  placed  upon  the  soil  to  mark  the  habitat  of  the  clans. 
They  served  the  purpose,  because  they  were  on  the  hill-tops  as 
well  as  in  the  valleys,  and  marked  not  only  the  sites  of  villages, 
but  the  game  drives,  the  sacrificial  places,  the  dance  grounds  and 
council  houses  of  the  clans.     See  Fig.  6. 

2.  The  protective  power  of  the  totems  is  to  be  noticed.     On 
the  northwest  coast  the  houses  are  sometimes  furnished  with 


♦See  Uocumeinary  History  of  New  York.  Vol.  II. 


228  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

figures  of  whales,  serpents  and  other  animals.  In  some  cases 
the  entrance  to  the  house  is  through  the  body  of  a  fish;  other 
houses  have  the  image  of  the  thunder  bird,  with  spread  wings, 
placed  over  the  doorway;  the  entrance  of  the  house  being  un 
der  the  body  and  between  the  wings.  The  same  custom  was 
common  among  the  Mandans  and  other  tribes  of  the  prairies  ; 
they  painted  upon  ihe  outsides  of  their  tents  the  figures  of  a 
deer  or  elk,  making  the  opening  to  the  tent  through  the  body  of 
the  animal.  We  have  noticed  also  among  the  effigy  mounds 
that  figures  of  the  squirrels,  panthers  and  wolves  were  placed  at 
the  entrance-way  to  the  villages,  so  placed  as  to  give  the  idea 
that  they  were  designed  to  protect  the  villages.  In  all  such 
cases  they  were  the  clan  emblems.  We  have  also  noticed  that 
the  clan  emblems  were  placed  near  the  game  drives,  as  if  the 
protection  of  the  clan  divinity  was  invoked  by  the  hunter. 
Sometimes  the  clan  emblem,  would  be  placed  at  a  distance  on  a 
hilltop  above  the  village,  giving  the  idea  that  there  was  an  over- 
shadowing presence.  A  favorite  custom  was  to  seize  upon  some 
cliff,  or  ridge,  or  knob  of  land  which  had  a  resemblance  to  the 
clan  emblem  and  there  place  the  effigy,  as  if  there  were  a  double 
protection  in  this :  animism  and  totemism  conspiring  to 
strengthen  the  fancy.     See  Figs.  7  and  10. 

3.  The  mythologic  character  of  the  totems  is  to  be  noticed. 
On  the  northwest  coast  the  great  myth  bearers  are  the  totem 
posts.  We  learn  from  Mr.  James  Deans*  that  the  myths  of  the 
people  were  carved  into  the  vacant  spaces  upon  the  posts,  and 

that  it  v/as  the  ambition  of  the  people  to  per- 
^^^^^^    petuate  as  many  myths  as  possible. 

The  hideous  masks  which  are  so  common  in 
the  same  region  were  also  designed  to  be  myth 
bearers.  These  masks  served  the  same  purpose 
as  buffalo-heads  and  elk-horns  did  among  the 
Dakotas.  They  helped  to  carry  out  the  sem- 
blances of  the  animals  which  were  assumed  by 
mg.7-TartieTotevu  j^nccrs  at  the  great  feasts,  the  buffalo  dance  and 
the  elk  dance  being  characterized  by  imitations  of  the  attitudes  of 
the  animals.  The  effigies  were  also  myth  bearers.  Groups  of 
efifigics  are  found  which  contain  all  the  animals  that  were  native 
to  the  region,  closely  associated  with  human  figures  (see  Fig.  8), 
the  efifigies  in  their  attitudes  and  relative  positions  giving  the  idea 
that  there  was  a  myth  contained  in  them. 

4.  The  totems  also  served  a  part  in  the  pictographs.  One  fact 
illustrates  this:  The  Osages  have  a  secret  order  in  which  traditions 
are  preserved  by  symbols  tatooed  upon  the  throat  and  chest.f 
One  of  these  traditionary  pictographs  is  as  follows  :  At  the  top 


♦Aimeriran  Antiquarian.    Article  by  James  Deans,  Vol.  XIIl.,  No.  IV. 
twixlh  Annual  Report  of  Bureau  of  Kthnology,  page  :W8,  "Osage  Traditions,"  by- 
Rev.  J.  O.  Dorsey. 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP. 


229 


Fig.  S. — Mf/lh  liearvr  of  the  Dakotas. 


we  see  a  tree  near  a  river,  called  the  tree  of  life;  just  under  the 
river  we  see  a  large  star,  at  the  left  the  morning  star,  and  next 
are  six  stars,  then  the  evening  star;  beneath  these  are  seven 
stars,  or  the  pleides;  below  these  the  moon  on  the  left,  the  sun 
on  the  right,  between  them  a  peace  pipe  and  a  hatchet ;  below 
these  are  the  four  upper  worlds,  represented  by  four  parallel  lines, 

a  bird  is  seen  hovering  over 
the  four  worlds.  The  object 
of  the  tradition  or  chart  was 
to  show  how  the  people  as- 
cended from  the  lower  worlds 
and  obtained  human  souls 
whenthey  had  long  been  in  the 
body  of  birds  and  animals. 
The  Osages  say :  "  We  do 
not  believe  that  our  ancestors 
were  really  animals  or  birds; 
these  things  are  only  symbols 
of  something  higher."  Mr. 
Dorsey  also  says:  "The  lowas 
have  social  divisions  and  per- 
sonal names  of  mythical  persons  and  sacred  songs,  but  these  are 
in  the  Winnebago  language."  He  says:  "Aside  from  traditions 
even  the  taboos  and  the  names  of  the  gentes  and  the  phratries 
are  objects  of  mysterious  reverence,  and  such  names  are  never 
used  in  ordinary  conversation."  We  take  it  for  granted  that  the 
totems  of  the  Mound-builders  were  also  as  thoroughly  subjects 
of  reverence  and  that  there  was  much  secrecy  in  reference  to  them. 
There  were  probably  secret  societies 
and  "  mysteries"  among  the  Mound- 
builders,  and  it  would  require  initia- 
tion on  our  part  to  understand  the 
symbols  which  have  perpetuated  the 
myths  and  traditions  as  much  as  if 
they  were  hieroglyphics  and  we  were 
without  the  key.  The  subject  of  to- 
temism  is  very  complicated,  but  was 
prevalent  in  prehistoric  times  as  one 
of  the  wide-spread  systems  of  religion. 
5.  Another  phase  of  totemism  was  that 
which  connected  itself  with  various 
objects  of  nature — trees,  rocks,  caves, 
rivers.  It  was  thought  that  invisible  spirits  haunted  every  dark 
and  shadowy  place.  The  caves  were  their  chief  abode;  the  cliffs 
were  also  filled  with  an  invisible  presence.  Every  rock  or  tree 
of  an  unusual  shape  was  the  abode  of  a  spirit,  especially  if  there 
was  any  resemblance  in  the  shape  to  any  human  or  animal  form. 
It  was  owing  to  this  superstition,  that  gave  a  soul  to  every  thing, 


Fig.  9— Myth  Bearer  from  a  Cave 
in  Wisconsin. 


230 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


that  so  many  double  images  are  found  in  the  Mound-builders' 
territority.  The  image  of  the  serpent,  of  the  lizard,  of  the  turtle, 
was  recognized  in  the  bluff  or  rock  or  island  or  stream;  and  the 
mound  resembling  the  same  creature  was  placed  above  the  bluff 
to  show  that  the  resemblance  had  been  recognized.  Totemism, 
then,  was  not  confined  to  the  savages  who  roamed  through  the 
dark  forest  of  the  North,  nor  to  those  Northern  tribes  which 
made  their  abode  upon  the  prairies,  and  lelt  traces  of  themselves 
in  the  idols  and  images  and  foot  tracks  and  inscriptions,  which 
are  now  such  objects  of  wonder,  but  it  extended  far  to  the 
southward,  and  was  mingled  with  the  more  advanced  systems 
which  prevailed  in  this  region. 


\'!l///,-i\i'v 


Fig.  10. — Alligator  Mound  in  Ohio. 

This  was   totemism.     We  conclude  that  it  bore  an  important 
part  in  the  Mound-builder's  life.     It  was  very  subtle  and  obscure, 
yet   if  we   recognize   it  among  the   living   tribes   we   may  also 
recognize  it  among  those  who  have  passed  away. 

6.  Under  the  head  of  totemistic  symbols  we  shall  place  those  re- 
markable works,  the  great  serpent  and  alligator  mounds.  These 
closely  correspond  to  the  shape  of  the  cliff  or  hill  on  which 
they  are  placed.  They  must  be  regarded  as  sacred  or  religious 
works,  as  they  probably  had  a  mythologic  significance.  The 
alligator  mound  is  situated  upon  a  high  and  beautifully  rounded 
spot  of  land,  which  projects  boldly  into  the  beautiful  valley  of 
the  Raccoon  Creek.  The  hill  is  150  or  200  feet  high.  It  is  so 
regular  as  almost  to  induce  the  belief  that  it  has  been  artificially 
rounded.  It  commands  a  view  of  the  valley  for  eight  or  ten 
miles,  and  is  by  far  the  most  conspicuous  point  within  that  limit. 
Immediately  opposite,  and   less  than   a  half  mile  distant,  is  a 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  231 

large  and  beautiful  circular  work;  to  the  right,  three-fourths  of 
a  mile  distant,  is  a  fortified  hill,  and  upon  the  opposite  side  of 
the  valley  is  another  intrenched  hill.  The  great  circles  at  New- 
ark, which  we  have  designated  as  village  inclosures,  are  but  a 
few  miles  away  and  would  be  distinctly  visible  were  there  no  in- 
tervening forest.  Squier  and  Davis  say:  "The  effigy  is  called 
the  alligator,  though  it  closely  resembles  the  lizard.  The  total 
length  is  about  250  feet,  breadth  of  body  40  feet,  length  of  legs 
36  feet.  The  paws  are  broader  than  the  legs,  as  if  the  spread 
of  the  toes  had  been  imitated.  The  head,  shoulders  and  rump 
are  elevated  into  knobs  and  so  made  prominent.  Near  the  effigy 
is  a  circular  mound  covered  with  stones,  which  have  been  much 
burned.  This  has  been  denominated  an  altar.  Leading  to  it 
from  the  top  of  the  effigy  is  a  graded  way  ten  feet  broad.  It 
seems  more  than  possible  that  this  singular  effigy  had  its  origin 
in  the  superstition  of  its  makers.  It  was  perhaps  the  high  place 
where  sacrifices  were  made  on  extraordinary  occasions,  and 
where  the  ancient  people  gathered  to  celebrate  the  rites  of  their 
unknown  worship.  The  valley  which  it  overlooks  abounds  in 
traces  of  a  remote  people  and  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the 
centers  of  ancient  population."*     See  Fig.  10. 

In  reference  to  the  altars  so  called,  we  may  say:  "One  is  to 
be  distinctly  observed  in  the  inclosure  connected  with  the  great 
serpent  and  another  in  connection  with  the  cross  near  Tarlton, 
and  still  another  in  connection  with  the  bird  effigy  at  Newark." 
This  bird  ( ffigy  is  also  worthy  of  notice;  it  was  in  the  centre  of 
the  great  circle,  and  seems  to  have  been  erected  for  religious 
purposes,  like  the  great  circles  of  England,  and  in  the  squares 
of  Peru  and  Mexico,  enclosures  within  which  were  erected  the 
shrines  of  the  gods  ot  the  ancient  worship  and  altars  of  ancient 
religion.  These  may  have  been  spots  consecrated  by  tradition, 
or  rendered  remarkable  as  the  scene  of  some  extraordinary 
event,  invested  with  reverence  and  regarded  with  superstition; 
tabooed  to  the  multitude,  but  full  of  significance  to  the  priest- 
hood. They  may  have  embraced  consecrated  graves,  and  guarded 
as  they  were  by  animal  totems,  have  been  places  where  myster- 
ious rites  were  practiced  in  honor  of  the  great  totemistic  divinity. 

III.  The  third  form  of  nature  worship  we  shall  mention,  is  the 
one  which  consisted  in  the  use  of  fire.  It  might  be  called  fire 
worship,  although  it  has  more  of  the  nature  of  a  superstition 
than  of  worship.  This  custom,  of  using  fire  as  an  aid  to  devo- 
tion, was  not  peculiar  to  the  Mound-builders,  for  it  was  common 
in  all  parts  of  the  world;  the  suttee  burning  of  India  being  the 
most  noted.  In  Europe  cremation  or  burial  in  fire  was  a  cus- 
tom peculiar  to  the  bronze  age,  and  indicated  an  advanced  stage 
of  progress;  the  relics  which  are  found  in  the  fire-beds  being 


•Ancient  Monuments,  Page  101. 


232  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

chieHy  of  bronze  and  many  of  theni  highly  wrought.     In  this 
country  the  fire  cult  was,  perhaps,  peculiar  to  the  copper  age;  at 
least,  the  larger  portion  of  the  relics  which  are  found  in  the  fire 
beds  are  copper.  As  to  the  extent  of  this  cult,  we  may  say  it  was 
prevalent  among  the  native  tribes  both  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 
and  of  the   far  West,  and,  in   some   cases,  appeared   upon   the 
northwest  coast.    There  are  instances  where  cremation  or  burning 
of  human  bodies  was  practiced   which,  in   many  of  its   features 
resembled  the  suttee  burning.  The  custom  of  keeping  a  perpetual 
fire  was  one  phase  of  this  fire  cult.     This  seems  to  have  been 
general  among  the  tribes  of  the  Mississippi  Valley,  so  well  as 
among  the  civilized  races  of  the  southwest.     It  was  a  supersti- 
tion of  the  Aztecs,  that  if  the  fire  went  out  in  the  temple,  the 
nation  ceased  to  exist.     The  ceremony  of  creating  new  fire  was 
the  most  sacred  and  important  event  among  them.     Charlevoix 
says  that  fire  among  the   Muscogees  was  kept  burning  in  honor 
of  the  sun.     It  was  fed  with  billets  or  sticks  of  wood  so  arranged 
as  to  radiate  from  a  common  center,  like  the  spokes  of  a  wheel.* 
Temples  were  erected  for  this  purpose,  and  in  them  the  bones  of 
the  dead  chieftans  were  also  kept.     Tonti  says  of  the  Taensas: 
"The  temple  was,  like  the  cabin  of  the  chief,  about  forty  feet 
square;    the  wall  fourteen  feet  high;    the    roof  doom  shaped; 
within  it  an  altar,  and  the  fire  was  kept  up  by  the  old  priests 
night  and  day.     The  temples  were  quite  common  throughout 
the  region  known  as  Florida,  extending  from  Arkansas  to  the 
southern  point  of  the  Peninsula.     They  were  found  in  many  of 
the  villages,  and  great  care  was  exercised  that  the  fire  within 
them  should  be  perpetual.     The  temples  finally  disappear,  and, 
in   their  stead,  we  find   the  hot   house   or   rotunda   or  council 
houses,  such  as  are  known  to  the  Cherokees.     The  time  came 
when  a  temple  was  no  longer  spoken  of,  though  the  rotunda 
embodied  something  of  its  sacredness.  It  was  within  this  rotunda 
that  the  first  fire  was  kindled;  and  it  was  here,  under  the  care  of 
the  priests,  that  the  perpetual  fire  was  kept  burning.     A  very 
interesting  rite  was  observed  annually,  when  all  fires  of  the  tribes 
were  put  out  and  kindled  anew  by  the  fire  generator.    This  took 
place  on  the  occasion  of  the  feast  of  the  first  fruits  on  the  third 
day.    On  that  day,  as  the  sun  declined,  universal  silence  reigned 
among  the  people.     The  chief  priests  then  took  a  dry  piece  of 
wood,  and,  with  the  fire  generator,  whirled  it  rapidly.  The  wood 
soon  began  to  smoke;  the  fire  was  collected  in  an  earthen  dish 
and  taken  to  the  altar.    Its  appearance  brought  joy  to  the  hearts 
of  the  people.     The   women  arranged  themselves   around   the 
public  square,  where  the  altar  was,  each  receiving  a  portion  of 
the  new  and  pure  flame.     They  then  prepared,  in  the  best  man- 
ner, the  new  corn  and  fruits,  and  made  a  feast  in  the  square,  in 

♦Charlevoix  Letters,  page  ll:{. 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  233 

which  the  people  were  assembled  and  with  which  the  men  re- 
galed themselves."* 

As  to  the  prevalence  of  the  fire  cult  among  the  Mound-build- 
ers, it  was  not  confined  to  the  southern  districts,  where  the 
rotundas  were  and  where  sun  worship  was  so  prominent.  At 
least  one  stage  of  this  fire  cult,  that  which  consisted  in  cremation 
of  the  bodies,  appeared  in  the  regions  north  of  the  Ohio  River 
and  was  quite  common. 

We  shall  see  the  extent  of  this  custom  if  we  draw  a  line  diag- 
onally from  the  region  about  Davenport,  Iowa,  through  Illinois, 
Indiana,  Southern  Ohio,  West  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  We 
shall  find  that  the  line  strikes  the  majority  of  the  fire  beds  and 
altar  mounds.  What  is  remarkable,  also,  along  this  line  are  found 
those  relics  which  have  been  associated  with  the  fire  cult  of  Ohio, 
many  of  them  havmg  been  placed  upon  the  altars  and  offered 
either  to  the  sun  divinity  or  to  the  fire.  Among  these  relics  we 
may  mention  as  chief  the  so-called  Mound-builder  pipe.  This 
was  a  pipe  with  a  curved  base  and  a  carved  bowl,  the  bowl  being 
an  imitation  of  some  animal  native  to  the  region.  The  pipes  are 
very  numerous  in  the  vicinity  ot  Davenport,  Iowa.  The  animals 
imitated  are  very  nearly  the  same  as  those  represented  in  the 
Ohio  pipes — the  lizard,  the  turtle,  the  toad,  the  howling  wolf,  the 
squirrel,  ground-hog  and  bird.  One  pipe  has  the  shape  of  the 
serpent  wound  about  the  bowl,  an  exact  counterpart  of  the  ser- 
pent pipe  which  was  found  upon  the  altar  in  Clarke's  Works  in 
Southern  Ohio,  Similar  pipes,  carved  in  imitation  of  animals — 
badgers,  toads  and  birds — have  also  been  found  upon  the  Illinois 
River,  in  Cass  County,  and  upon  the  White  River,  in  Indiana, 
showing  that  the  people  who  occupied  the  stations  were  acquainted 
with  the  same  animals  and  accustomed  to  use  the  same  kind  of 
pipe.  The  Davenport  pipes  are  not  so  skillfully  wrought  as  the 
Ohio  pipes,  but  have  the  same  general  pattern. 

They  were  not  all  of  them  found  in  the  fire  beds,  for  many  of 
them  were  discovered  in  mounds  where  the  fire  had  gone  out. 
These  mounds  are  situated  along  the  banks  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  from  the  vicinity  of  Muscatine  through  Toolsboro, 
Moline,  Rock  Island  and  Davenport,  the  most  remarkable  spec- 
imens having  been  found  on  the  Cook  farm,  just  south  of 
the  latter  city.  There  were  fire  beds  and  altars  in  this  group, 
but  even  here,  as  in  the  case  of  other  mounds  where  there  was 
no  fire,  the  pipes  were  placed  near  the  bones,  which  were  still 
well  preserved,  and  none  of  them  showed  traces  of  fire. 

Let  U3  here  notice  the  difference  between  the  tokens  in  the 
two  sections,  i.  In  Ohio  nearly  all  Mound-builder  pipes,  in- 
cluding the  finely  wrought  serpent  pipes  and  the  other  animal 
pipes,  had  been    placed    upon  the  altar  and  subjected  to  the 


♦Journal  of  Ainerionn  Folk-l.ore,  Vol.  IV,  No.  XIV.    Social  Organization  of  The 
eau,  by  J.  O.  Dorsei  ,  page  '2i5.    bee  map  inCbapier  II. 


Biveau, by 


234  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

action  of  fire  and  so  badly  burned  that  they  were  broken  into 
fragments.  In  western  mounds  they  were  unbroken.  2.  Another 
difference  is  noticeable.  While  there  were  as  many  copper  relics 
in  the  Davenport  mounds,  as  in  the  Ohio  mounds,  they  were 
mainly  copper  axes,  many  of  which  were  wrapped  in  cloth  and 
placed  with  the  bodies.  Fig.  1 1.  Farquharson  calls  them  cere- 
monial axes.  There  were  no  signs  of  use  in  them.  They  varied 
in  size  and  shape,  some  of  them  being  flat,  others  flat  on  one  side, 
convex  on  other;  still  others  convex  on  both  sides.  The  cloth 
in  which  they  were  wrapped  was  well  preserved  by  action  of  the 
copper ;  it  was  made  of  hemp,  and  resembled  burlap.  In  the 
Ohio  mounds  no  such  copper  axes  have  been  found.  Copper 
beads  and  copper  chisels  are  numerous,  however,  and  beads  and 
pendants  are  as  common  as  in  Davenport.     3., The  characteristic 


FHg.U. — Copper  Axe.t  '1,1(1  piitterii   VeKnels  from   Toolsboro. 

relic  of  the  altar  mounds  of  Ohio  is  the  copper  spool  ornament. 
In  the  Davenport  mound  there  were  very  few  spool  orna- 
ments, but  awls  and  needles  were  quite  numerous;  copper  beads 
and  pendants  were  common.  Many  of  these  were  found  in 
various  localities,  both  on  the  Scioto  River  and  in  the  Turner 
group.  4.  Another  point  of  difference  between  the  two  localities 
is  the  shape  of  the  altars.  Those  in  the  Davenport  mounds  are 
never  paved  as  in  the  Ohio  mounds,  the  altars  in  the  Davenport 
mounds  being  merely  round  heaps  of  stones  or  columns.  Near 
these  the  bodies  were  placed,  but  the  relics  were  beside  the 
bodies  and  not  upon  the  altars.  In  one  case  a  few  long  shin- 
bones  were  crossed  upon  the  top  of  the  altar  and  others  found 
leaning  against  the  side  of  the  stones,  but  no  relics.  The  bodies 
do  not  seem  to  be  cremated,  but  buried  in  the  fire.  The  relics, 
including  pipes,  copper  axes,  copper  awls,  and  obsidian  arrows, 
were  placed  at  the  side  or  head  of  the  body,  but  were  rarely 
burned. 

5.  Another  point  of  difference  is  that   burials  and  cremations 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  236 

in  Ohio  were  made  before  the  mound  was  erected,  while   in  the 
Davenport  mounds,  if  there  was  any  cremating,  it  took  place  at 
the  time  of  burial,  and  the  fire  was  smothered  in  the  process  of 
mound  building.     Prof.  Putnam  explored  a  burial  mound  on  the 
Scioto  River,  which  was  situated  in  the  great  circle  near  the  east- 
ern corner  of  the  great  square.     It  was  i6o  feet  long,  90  feet 
wide  and  10  feet  high.     It  contained  a  dozen  burial  chambers 
made  from  logs.     In  these  chambers  the  bodies  were  placed  evi- 
dently wrapped  in  garments.     With  the  bodies  were  buried  va- 
rious objects,  such  as  copper-plates,  ear-rin^s,  shell  beads  and 
flint  knives,  and  on  the  breast  of  one  skeleton  was  a  thin  copper 
plate  or  ornament.     In  some  of  the  chambers  there  were  evi- 
dences of  fire  as  if  the   bodies   had  been   burned  on  the  spot. 
Prof  Putnam's  opinion  is  that  the  burials  and  cremations  were 
made  before   the   mound  was  erected,   several   burnings  having 
occurred  in  one  spot.     The  mound  was  erected  over  all,  and  was 
finished  with  a   covering  of  gravel   and  with   a   border  of  loose 


Fig.  12 — Mound  near  Davenport. 

stones.  This  was  the  usual  manner  of  erecting  mounds  among 
the  fire  worshipers.  Squier  and  Davis  in  1840  dug  into  the  same 
mound  and  found  a  skeleton,  with  a  copper  plate  and  a  pipe. 
They  also  found  in  other  mounds  altars  in  which  bodies  had 
been  burned,  but  the  ashes  had  been  removed,  a  deposit  of  the 
ashes  being  found  at  one  side  of  the  altar.  6.  The  intense  heat  to 
which  the  relics  were  subjected  in  the  Ohio  mounds  as  com- 
pared to  the  partial  burning  in  the  Iowa  mounds  is  to  be  no- 
ticed. Prof  Putnam  says  that  in  the  Turner  group  the  fire  was 
intense,  and  the  iron  masses  were  exposed  to  great  heat  on  the 
altar  and  were  more  or  less  oxydized.  Squier  and  Davis  say 
that  the  copper  relics  found  in  the  Ohio  altars  were  cJften  fused 
together,  and  the  pipes  of  the  Mound-builders  were  all  ot  them 
broken. 

The  question  here  arises,  who  were  these  fire-worshippers  ? 
Were  they  the  Cherokees,  who  survive  in  the  mountains  of  Ten- 
nessee ?  or  were  they  the  Dakotas,  who  so  lately  roam  the  prairies 
in  the  far  West?  or  were  they  some  unknown  people  ?  Our 
answer  to  this  question  is,  that  no  particular  tribe  can  be  said  to 
represent  the  fire  worshipers,  for  this  cult  prevailed  among  nearly 
all  the  different  classes  of  Mound-builders.  Mounds  containing 
fire  beds  have  been  found  in  Wisconsin,  Iowa,  Illinois,  Indiana, 
Ohio,  West  Virginia,  East  Tennessee,  North  Carolina,  and  the 


236  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

Gulf  States.  In  Wisconsin  the  fire  beds  are  without  relics;  in 
Iowa  they  contain  relics,  but  they  are  unburned;  in  Ohio  they 
contain  many  relics  which  seem  to  have  been  thrown  upon  the 
altars  as  offerings;  in  East  Tennessee  there  are  mounds  which 
contain  fire  beds  that  resemble  those  of  Ohio;  in  West  Tennessee 
the  mounds  contain  traces  of  fire,  but  no  altars  or  fire  beds.  The 
relics  are  unburned.  These  latter  mounds  are  said  to  have  been 
built  in  the  shape  of  cones,  the  cists  containing  the  bodies  being 
arranged  in  a  circle  about  a  central  space,  but  each  tier  being 
drawn  in  so  as  to  make  a  cone.  The  fire  was  in  the  center  of 
the  circle;  outside  the  circle,  near  the  heads,  were  pottery  ves- 
sels, which  made  a  circle  of  themselves,  the  whole  arrangement 
indicating  that  there  was  not  only  a  fire  cult  here,  but  that  it  was 
associated  with  sun  worship,the  superstition  about  the  soul  being 
embodied  in  the  pottery  vessels,  the  three  forms  of  nature  wor- 
ship being  embodied  together  in  one  mound. 

We  call  attention  to  the  cuts  which  represent  the  fire  cult  of 
the  different  districts.  Fig  I2  represents  a  mound  on  the  Cook 
farm  near  Davenport,  one  of  the  group  from  which  so  many 
relics  were  taken.  This  mound  contained  no  chamber,  but  in  its 
place  were  two  strata  of  limestone,  but  over  these  a   series   of 

skulls  so  arranged  as  to  form  a  crescent, 
around  each  skull  was  a  circle  of  stones. 
See  Fig.  13.  With  the  skeletons  in  the 
mound  were  two  copper  axes,  two  hemi- 
spheres of  copper  and  one  of  silver,  and 
several  arrows.  In  an  adjoining  mound 
were  two  skeletons  surr>:,unded  by  a  cir- 
FHg.  u.-orescent  and  Circle,  ^j^  ^^  ^^^  stones;  the  skeletons  Were  under 

a  layer  of  ashes  and  with  them  were  several  copper  axes,  cop- 
per beads,  two  carved  stone  pipes,  one  in  the  shape  of  a  ground 
hog.  The  difference  in  the  mounds  will  be  noticed.  In  the 
latter  mounds  there  were  indications  of  fire  worship  and  sun 
worship.  Fig.  1 1  represents  the  vase  and  copper  axes  taken 
from  the  mound  at  Toolsboro.  They  exhibit  an  advanced  stage 
of  art  and  seem  to  indicate  that  the  Iowa  Mound  builders  did 
not  fall  much  behind  the  Ohio  Mound-builders    in  this   respect. 

The  Moquis  practice  a  modified  form  of  fire  worship.  No  other 
living  tribe  preserves  the  cult  to  the  same  degree,  and  yet  there 
is  no  evidence  that  the  Moquis  were  ever  Mound-builders.  Two 
theories  might  be  entertained  ;  one,  that  there  was  a  progress  in 
the  fire  worship  ;  another,  that  there  was  a  decline,  and  yet  there 
is  no  surviving  tribe  in  which  we  recognize  the  fire  cult  of  the 
ancient  times. 

We  can  say  that  while  the  tokens  of  the  fire  worshipers,  such 
as  fire  beds,  copper  relics  and  Mound-builders'  pipes,  are  found 
scattered  as  far  as  the  effigies  on  the  north  and  the  pyramids 
at  the  south,  these  three  classes  of  tokens,  one  indicating  ani- 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  237 

mal  worship,  the  other  fire  worship,  and  the  third  sun  wor- 
ship, are  crowded  into  the  single  State  of  lUinois,  and  consti- 
tute the  tokens  of  the  middle  Mississippi  district.  We  notice 
also  that  the  relics  indicate  three  different  modes  of  life  or  occu- 
pations. Among  the  effigy  mounds  are  many  copper  relics,  but 
mainly  spear-heads,  arrow-heads,  chisels,  knives,  such  as  would 
be  used  by  hunters.  The  relics  in  the  fire  beds  and  burial 
grounds  near  Davenport  are  axes,  awls  and  needles ;  no  copper 
spear-heads  or  knives.  The  relics  south  of  these  fire-beds, 
especially  those  near  the  Cahokia  mound,  are  mainly  agricultural 
tools — spades,  hoes,  picks.  The  pottery  of  the  three  localities 
are  in  contrast,  showing  that  three  different  stages  of  art  and 
different  domestic  tastes  in  the  three  localities.  The  Mound- 
builder  pipes  are  not  found  either  among  the  effigies  or  pyra- 
mids, and  seem  to  be  confined  to  this  narrow  belt  between  the 
two. 

Still  the  fire  cult  must  have  been  early  in  the  Mound- 
builder  period.  We  notice  both  in  the  Mississippi  Valley  and 
upon  the  Ohio  River  that  the  fire  beds  and  altars  are  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  mounds.  In  very  many  of  the  mounds  there  are 
layers  of  bodies,  some  of  which  were  recumbent,  others  in 
various  postures,  but  either  without  relics  or  having  relics  of  a 
ruder  or  more  modern  character.  These  may  have  been  depos- 
ited by  various  Indian  tribes,  such  as  the  Sacs  and  Foxes,  Potta- 
wattamies  and  Illinois.  Mound-builder  pipes,  copper  axes  and 
other  relics  are  always  found  as  low  down  as  the  surface  of  the 
soil.  They  are  not  always  in  fire  beds,  but  frequently  there  will 
be  a  hard  floor  and  a  saucer-like  basin  below  the  bodies,  and 
above  them  piles  of  wood  or  logs,  conveying  the  idea  that  the 
intention  was  to  cremate  the  body,  but  the  fire  had  gone  out  be- 
fore the  wood  had  been  burned.  The  descriptions  given  by  all 
the  explorers  of  the  mounds  of  this  vicinity  are  always  to  this 
effect.* 

IV.  The  prevalence  of  the  moon  cult  will  next  be  considered. 
The  moon  cult  was  evidently  associated  with  sun-worship,  and 
prevailed  in  the  district  where  the  works  of  the  sun-worshippers 
are  so  numerous,  namely:  Southern  Ohio.  The  evidences  of 
this  are  as  follows:  i.  In  this  district  we  find  earth-works,  which 
seem  to  be  symbolical  of  the  moon;  their  shape,  location  and 
probable  use  show  this.  They  are  crescent  shape,  but  are  some- 
times grouped  around  circles,  and  were  probably  used  in  con- 
nection with  dances  and  feasts,  which  were  sacred  to  the  moon. 
We  take  for  illustration  the  works  whicn  are  called  the  Junc- 
tion Group,  which  is  described  by  Squier  and  Davis.  This  group 
is  situated  on  Paint  Creek,,  two  and  one  half  miles  southwest  of 

♦See  descriptions  by  Kev.  G.  A.  Gass,  C.  E.  Harrison,  W.  H.  Pratt,  C.  H.  Preeston, 
Rev.  A.  Bloomer,  A.  F.  Tiflfany,  R.  J.  Fargueson;  also  proceedings  of  Davenport 
Academy  of  Science,  Vol,  I.,  page  96  lo  143;  Vol.  II.,  pages  141  and  289;  "Vol.  III.,  page 
135;  Vol.  v.,  page  37;  also  American  Antiquarian. 


288 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


the  town  of  Chillicothe.  It  consists  of  four  circles,  three  ores 
cents,  two  square  works  and  four  mounds.  The  eastern  enclos- 
ure is  the  principal  one,  and,  in  common  with  all  the  rest,  con- 
sists ol  a  wall  three  feet  high  with  an  interior  ditch.  It  is  two 
hundred  and  forty  feet  square;  the  angles  much  curved,  giving 
it  very  nearly  the  form  of  a  circle.  The  area  bounded  by  the 
ditch  is  an  accurate  square  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  side, 
and  is  entered  from  the  south  by  a  gateway  twenty-five  feet  wide. 
To  the  southwest  of  this  work,  and  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet 
distant,  is  a  small  mound,  inclosed  by  a  ditch  and  wall,  with  a 
gateway  opening  to  it  from  the  north.  The  ditch  dips  from  the 
base  of  the  mound,  which  is  three  feet  high  by  thirty  leet  base. 


\ 


y- 


—  ■     £;^s^rasLi?  iciasTSi?, 


.  ROSS.    CO.QHtO 


%J^' 


fj> : «  _  --' j»  ->  i* 


?*»0  feel  lD)hA-Wk 


Fiff.  1!,.— Junction  Group. 

Almost  touching  the  circle  enclosing  the  mound  is  the  horn  of 
a  crescent  work,  having  a  chord  of  one  hundred  and  thirty-two 
feet.  Sixty-six  feet  distant,  in  the  same  direction,  is  still  another 
crescent,  which  terminates  in  a  mound  of  sacrifice,  seven  feet 
high  by  forty-five  feet  base,  which  commands  the  entire  group  of 
works.  This  mound  was  opened  and  found  to  contain  an  altar; 
such  an  altar  as  is  peculiar  to  mounds  devoted  to  religious  pur- 
poses. Upon  it  were  a  number  of  relics  clearly  pertaining  to  the 
Mound-builders.  In  reference  to  these  works  Squier  and  Davis 
say:  "That  they  were  not  designed  for  defense  is  obvious;  and 
that  they  were  devoted  to  religious  rites  is  more  than  probable. 
Similar  groups  are  frequent.  Indeed,  small  circles  resembling 
these  here  represented,  are  by  far  the  most  numerous  class  found 
in  the  Scioto  Valley." 

Next  is  the  Blackwater  group.     This  is  situated  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Scioto,  eight  miles  above  Chillicothe.     It  is  especi- 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP. 


239 


ally  remarkable  for  its  singular  parallels  (A  and  B  of  the  plan). 
Each  of  these  is  750  feet  long  by  60  broad.  A  gateway  opens 
from  the  southern  parallel  to  the  east.  They  were  in  cleared 
ground  and  have  been  cultivated  for  twenty  years.  The  ground 
embraced  in  the  semi-circular  works  (C  and  B)  is  reduced  several 
feet  below  the  plain  on  which  they  are  located.  The  resem- 
blance between  this  group  and  the  one  just  described  will  be 
noticed,  i.  The  group  is  arranged  in  an  irregular  circle.  2. 
There  are  three  cres- 
cents in  the  group,  each 
of  them  opening  into 
the  central  space.  3. 
There  is  a  small  circle 
with  a  ditch  and  mound 
enclosed,  the  usual  sun 
symbol  of  this  region. 
4.  A  conical  burial 
mound  is  found  near 
one  of  the  crescents.  5. 
The  location  of  the 
group  is  quite  similar 
to  that  of  the  Junction 
group,  being  in  a  high 
place  above  the  river, 
this  one  beingsome  two 
or  three  miles  from 
Hopeton,  the  Junction 
group  being  two  miles 
southwest  of  Chillico- 
the.  Both  of  them  oc- 
cupy the  third  terrace 
and  overlook  the  other 
works  in  the  vicinity. 

Another  place  where 
the  cresce  nt- shape  d 
wall  is  found  is  in  the 
tow.iship  of  Seal,  Pike  County.  The  large  work  and  the  small 
circles  would  attract  especial  attention.  The  larger  enclosures, 
situated  on  the  terrace  above  the  bottom  land,  consist  of  the 
usual  figures,  the  square  and  circle,  the  square  measuring  800 
feet  and  the  circle  1,050  feet,  the  connection  by  parallel  walls,  475 
feet.  In  the  small  works  we  have  the  square,  the  circle,  the 
ellipse,  separate  and  in  combination,  and  the  crescent,  all  of 
them  arranged  as  usual  around  an  open  space.  From  the  small 
circle  (D)  a  wall  leads  off  along  the  brow  of  the  terrace.  It  is 
probable  that  at  the  other  end  of  this  wall  there  was  another 
small  circle  which  has  been  destroyed  by  the  wasting  of  the 
bank.     The  river  now  runs  at  a  distance,  but  it  seems  to  have 


Fig.  15. — Blackwater  Group. 


240 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


•'« 


worn  the  terrace  away  in  several  places  before  it  receded.  This 
shows  the  antiquity  of  the  works.  Nothing  can  surpass  the 
symmetry  of  the  small  work  (A).  The  other  enclosures  are 
perfect  figures  of  their  kind.  The  walls  of  the  square  coincide 
with  the  cardinal  points  of  the  compass,  a  fact  which  has  great 
importance  in  connection  with  this  form  ot  nature  worship. 


Fig.  16.— Symbolic  Works  in  Seal  Towtiship,  Ohio. 

The  object  of  these  works  is  unknown,  but  our  theory  is  that 
the  small  figures  mark  a  place  of  assembly  for  the  clan  which 
resided  in  the  square  enclosure,  a  peculiar  symbolism  being  em- 
bodied in  them.  It  may  be  that  there  was  a  secret  order  which 
perpetuated  the  religion  of  the  people  and  which  ruled  over  their 
feasts,  the  group  of  mounds  being  the  place  where  their  mys- 
teries were  celebrated. 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  241 

'  There  are  various  crescent-shaped  walls,  near  certain  forts  in 
Southern  Ohio,  which  we  take  to  be  symbolic,  and  imagine  that 
there  was  a  protective  power  in  the  symbol.  An  illustration  of 
this  is  found  at  Massie's  Creek,  seven  miles  from  Xenia.  There 
we  find  a  wall  of  stone  surroundino-  an  inclosure.  This  wall, 
near  the  gateway,  is  ten  feet  high,  with  thirty  feet  base.  Just 
outside  the  gateways  are  the  stone  mounds,  so  situated  as  to 
guard  the  entrances ;  outside  the  stone  mounds  are  four  short, 
crescent-shaped  stone  walls,  each  about  three  feet  in  height,  the 
four  making  an  outwork  to  the  fort,  on  the  side  toward  the 
highlands.  Our  conjecture  is  that  these  were  in  the  shape  of 
crescents,  as  the  walls  at  Fort  Ancient  were  in  the  shape  of  ser- 
pents,— the  superstition  being  that  the  symbol  itself  was  a  source 
of  safety.  There  are  several  other  forts  which  have  crescent- 
shaped  entrances,  one  being  at  Bourneville,  a  region  where  the 
sun  worshipers  dwelt  and  had  numerous  villages. 

Another  evidence  is  to  be  found  in  the  many  crescent-shaped 
walls,  near  square  enclosures,  whose  use  is  unknown  except  as 
symbols  of  the  moon.  There  are  three  such  walls  near  a  square 
enclosure,  just  opposite  the  stone  fort  on  Massie's  Creek,  evi- 
dently connected  with  that  fort.* 

There  are  crescent-shaped  walls  also  within  the  enclosures  at 
Marietta,  as  well  as  at  the  new  fort  at  Fort  Ancient;  also  at 
Liberty  Township.  The  crescent-shaped  wall,  near  the  bird  effigy 
in  the  large  circle  at  Newark,  is  to  be  noticed.  These  fragment- 
ary walls  may  have  had  a  practical  use  as  well  as  symbolic,  but 
the  fact  that  they  are  so  frequently  associated  with  the  square 
and  circle,  and  so  peculiarly  related  to  those  figures,  would  in- 
dicate that  they  were  symbols  of  the  moon.  It  would  seem 
from  the  study  of  the  enclosures  that  these  walls  mark  the  place 
of  religious  assemblies  or  the  residences  of  the  priests  or  medi- 
cine men,  and  that  they  correspond  to  the  sweat-house  or  ro- 
tunda of  the  southern  tribes  and  to  the  estufas  of  the  Pueblos 
though  the  crescents  themselves  may  have  been  only  the  seats 
of  the  chiefs  and  prominent  men  as  they  gathered  around  the 
sacred  fire,  which  sent  up  its  spiral  column  in  the  centre  of  the 
temple,  which  was  consecrated  to  the  sun. 

The  work  near  Bainbridge,  Ross  County,  situated  on  the  Val- 
ley of  Paint  Creek,  affords  another  of  the  thousand  various  com- 
binations. It  can  only  be  explained  in  connection  with  the 
superstition  of  the  builders.  It  could  answer  no  good  purpose 
for  protection,  or  subserve  any  useful  purpose,  such  as  the 
limits  of  fields,  or  boundaries  of  villages. 

There  is  another  point  to  be  considered  in  connection  with  the 
earth-works  in  Southern  Ohio.  Many  of  them  have  exactly  the 
same  shape  with  the  relics  and  badges  which  are  taken  from  the 


♦See  Ancient  Monuments,  page  94.    Plate  XXXIV. 


242 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


mounds,  the  two  together  showing  that  the  moon  cult  must- 
have  been  dominant.  Among  these  we  may  mention  those 
crescent-shaped  altars,  in  which  the  silvery  mica  is  supposed  to 
have  reflected  the  light  of  the  moon,  such  as  was  found  at 
Mound  City,  and  the  crescent-shaped  pavement,  near  the  great 
mound  at  Circleville,  both  of  which  were  evidently  symbolic. 
We  recognize  the  counterparts  to  these  in  the  various  maces  and 
badges  and  leaf-shaped  relics.  These  maces  are  frequently 
crescent-shaped,  some  of  them  double  crescents.  They  may 
have  been  placed  at  the  heads  of  staffs  and  borne  by  medicine 
men  or  priests  at  the  head  of  processions  at  their  sacred  feasts, 
but  they  show  in  their  shape  that  there  was  a  symbolism  among 
the  Mound-builders  in  which  the  moon-shaped  crescent  was  a 
prominent  figure.  iVe  sometimes  recognize  in  the  maces  the 
sun  circle,  but  the  crescent  was  more  common.  What  is  most 
singular  about  the  earthworks  and  relics  is,  that  the  same  shapes 
are  recognized  both  in  the  altars  themselves  and  the  relics  con- 
tained within  them. 


•■i&w.^ 


^fa 


Fig.  17.— Altar  of  Leaf-shaped  Implements. 


We  may  say  in  this  connection  that  an  altar  was  found  upon 
the  Illinois  river,  in  Cass  County,  which  consisted  of  several  layers 
of  leaf-shaped  implements,  which  were  almost  the  exact  counter- 
part of  one  found  in  Mound  City,  near  ChiUicothe,  Ohio.  The 
body  on  this  altar  was  not  burned.  There  was  upon  the  breast 
a  copper  plate  in  the  form  of  a  crescent,  shell  gorgets,  and  other 
relics.  Dr  Snyder  says  the  mound  gave  evidence  of  a  water 
cult;  but  the  resemblance  to  the  Ohio  mounds  would  show  that 
it  was  connected  with  the  fire  cult.  In  reference  to  the  shape  of 
these  flint  relics  and  their  religious  significance,  we  may  say  that 
the  exploring  party  led  by  Mr.  Warren  K,  Moorehead  has  re- 
cently came  upon  a  remarkable  find,  which  consisted  of  7,300 
flint  relics,  placed  in  an  oval  bed,  at  the  bottom  of  an  elliptical 
mound.  The  shape  of  the  altar  and  mound  corresponded,  though 
the  axis  of  the  stone  heap  trended  west,  while  the  mound  itself 
was  directly  north  and  south.  This  fire  bed  is  said  to  have  been 
twenty  feet  wide  by  thirty  feet  long,  and  the  flint  relies  which 
constituted  the  pavement  varied  from  twelve  to  fifteen  inches  in 
length  and  five  to  eight  inches  in  width,  making  the  pavement 
something  over  a  foot  in  depth.  This  find  was  upon  the  north 
fork  of  Paint  Creek,  in  the  group  of  mounds  from  which  Squier 


ANIMAL  WORSHIP  AND  FIRE  WORSHIP.  243 

and  Davis,  many  years  ago,  took  so  many  valuable  and  curious 
relics,  showing  that  the  cfferings  which  were  placed  upon  the 
altar  were  in  reality  devoted  to  the  moon  as  well  as  to  the  sun, 
ihe  mound,  the  altar  and  the  relics  being  combined  in  symboliz- 
ing the  different  phases  of  the  moon.  Our  conclusion  is  that 
the  moon  cult  was  as  prominent  as  the  fire  cult,  and  that  both 
of  these  were  associated  in  the  minds  of  the  sun-worshipers. 
Thev  cave  sicrnificance  to  the  altars,  the  relics  and  the  earth- 
works  of  this  region.  Proofs  of  all  this  are  given  in  the  fact 
that  offerings  were  placed  upon  altars  which  were  very  carefully 
constructed,  the  shapes  of  the  altars  perhaps  being  symbolic. 
The  fire  was  lighted  until  the  offerings  were  consumed. 

Squier  and  Davis  speak  of  this  when  they  describe  the  mounds 
in  Mound  City:  Mound  No.  i  showed  traces  of  fire  near  the 
summit,  which  increased  until  the  altar  was  reached.  The  relics 
found  within  the  altar  varied.  In  one  they  consisted  of  fragments 
of  pottery,  ornamented  very  tastefully,  convex  [copper  discs  and 
a  layer  of  silvery  mica,  in  sheets  overlapping  each  other,  and 
above  the  layer  a  quantity  of  human  bones. 

Mound  No.  2  contained  an  altar  in  the  shape  of  a  parallelo- 
gram of  the  utmost  regularity.  It  measured  at  the  base  8x10 
feet,  and  at  the  top  4x6  feet,  and  was  18  inches  high;  dip  of  the 
basin  g  inches.  Within  the  basin  was  a  deposit  of  fine  ashes, 
fragments  of  pottery  and  a  few  pearl  and  shell  beads.  This 
mound  also  contained  an  intruded  burial,  for  at  three  feet  below 
the  surface  two  skeletons  were  found.  With  these  skeletons 
were  found  implements  oi  stone,  horn  and  bone,  as  follows: 
Several  hand-axes  and  gouges;  beautiful  chip  of  horn-stone,  the 
size  of  one's  hand;  several  knife  handles  made  of  deer's  horn; 
an  implement  made  from  the  shoulder-blade  of  a  buffalo,  and  a 
notched  instrument  of  bone,  designed  for  distributing  paint  in 
lines  on  the  faces  of  the  warriors. 

Mound  No.  3  is  egg-shaped;  measured  140x60  feet,  11  feet 
high;  contained  four  strata.  At  the  base  of  this  mound  there 
was  a  double  altai.  The  entire  length  of  the  bottom  altar  was 
not  far  from  60  feet;  that  of  the  upper  was  15  feet.  The  dip  of 
the  first  basin  was  18  inches.  Relics  were  found  within  the 
smaller  basin.  It  was  found  that  the  one  altar  had  been  built  and 
used  for  a  time,  and  then  another  one  built  within  this  basin,  the 
process  having  been  repeated  three  times,  the  ridge  forming 
the  last  altar  having  a  basin  8  feet  square,  while  the  first  altar 
was  five  times  that  size,  or  40  feet  in  diameter.  The  relics  found 
in  this  mound  were  numerous  and  valuable.  They  were  as  fol- 
lows: A  large  number  of  spear-heads,  quartz  and  garnet;  an 
obsidian  arrow-point,  and  other  arrow-heads  of  limpid  quartz. 
These  had  been  so  broken  by  the  heat,  that  out  of  a  bushel  or 
two  of  fragments,  only  four  specimens  were  recovered  entirely. 
Among  the  copper  relics   were  the   following:     Two    copper 


244  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

chisels,  one  measuring^  6,  the  other  8  inches  in  length;  twenty 
copper  tubes  or  beads,  one  and  a  quarter  inches  long,  three- 
eighths  in  diameter  ;  two  carved  pipes  were  discovered,  one  in 
the  shave  of  a  toucan  cut  in  white  lime-stone  ;  a  large  quantity 
of  pottery,  out  of  which  two  vases  were  restored. 

Mound  No.  7  was  17^  feet  in  height,  90  feet  base.  It  was 
composed  of  six  different  strata  of  soil  and  sand,  and  contained 
at  its  base  a  floor  of  clay  or  altar,  at  one  side  of  which  was  a  layer 
of  silvery  mica  formed  of  round  sheets,  10  inches  or  a  foot  in 
diameter,  overlapping  each  other  like  the  scales  of  a  fish,  which 
made  a  pavement  in  the  shape  of  a  crescent  around  the  altar 
twenty  teet  long  and  five  feet  wide.  The  mound  was  very  com- 
pact, required  an  immense  amount  of  labor  to  excavate  it.  Squier 
and  Davis  say  that  the  presence  of  the  mica  crescent  renders  it 
probable  that  the  Mound-builders  worshiped  the  moon  and  that 
this  mound  was  erected  with  unknown  rites  to  that  luminary. 

The  personal  ornaments  which  have  been  found  indicate  the 
same  thing.  Squier  and  Davis  speak  of  discovering  certain 
scrolls  and  discs  made  from  sheets  of  silvery  mica,  which  were 
perfect  in  their  outline.  These  were  perforated  with  a  single 
hole,  and  were  probably  attached  in  some  way  to  the  dress. 
When  placed  together  they  make  an  ornament  which  reminds  us 
of  the  celebrated  "winged  globe"  or  feathered  disc,  which  was 
so  common  in  Egypt  and  the  East.  The  shell  gorgets,  which 
are  so  numerous  at  the  south,  represent  the  same  symbols.  These 
contain  crescent-shaped  figures  in  the  center,  surrounded  by  cir- 
cles, with  dots  between  the  circles:  the  whole  contained  within 
four  concentric  rings;  the  number  four  symbolizing  the  four 
quarters  of  the  sky,  the  dots  symbolizing  the  stars,  the  small 
circles  the  sun  and  the  crescent  in  the  center  the  moon.  These 
gorgets  are  never  found  in  Ohio,  but  they  show  that  the  moon 
cult  was  associated  with  the  solar  cult  among  the  Mound-build- 
ers of  the  south. 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT.  245 


CHAPTER  XIII, 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 

In  our  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  different  systems  of  relig- 
ion prevalent  among  the  Mound  builders,  with  especial  regard 
to  their  location  and  geographical  distribution.  We  noticed  that 
there  were  different  systems  embodied  in  the  works  of  the  differ- 
ent districts.  The  works  of  the  efTfipy-builders,  who  were 
probably  hunters,  indicated  totemism;  those  of  the  tomb-builders 
of  the  prairies,  who  were  nomads,  denoted  animism  ;  those  ot 
the  altar-builders  of  the  middle  district,  who  were  agriculturisis, 
exhibited  fire  worship ;  the  sacred  enclosures  or  villages  of  the 
Ohio  district  denoted  the  moon  cult.  We  did  not,  however, 
complete  the  study  of  the  districts,  nor  did  we  exhaust  all  the 
systems  prevalent.     It  remains  for  us  to  finish  this  task. 

There  still  remain  to  be  considered  several  other  systems — the 
water  cult,  the  solar  cult,  and  the  beginnings  of  image  worship. 
These  found  their  embodiment  in  the  works  and  relics  of  the 
three  districts — those  on  the  Ohio  River,  the  mountain  district 
and  the  gulf  district — the  tokens  of  each  cult  being  found  in  all 
three  districts  and  the  systems  having  apparently  overlapped  one 
another  throughout  the  entire  region.  We  are  to  devote  the 
present  chapter  to  two  of  these  systems,  the  water  cult  and  the 
solar  cult. 

These  systems  were  associated  with  the  fire  cult  and  serpent 
worship,  and  in  some  places  seem  to  have  been  attended  with  the 
phallic  symbol  and  the  human  tree  figure,  these  symbols  having 
been  distributed  over  the  middle  and  southern  districts.  They 
prove  the  religious  systems  of  the  Southern  Mound-builders  were 
much  more  elaborate  and  highly  developed  than  those  of  the 
Northern  Mound-builders,  suggesting  that  the  Southern  Mound- 
builders  belonged  to  a  different  race  or  received  their  religion 
from  a  different  source.  These  systems  are  certainly  more  arti- 
ficial, more  highly  organized,  and  show  more  highly  developed 
thought.  They  may  have  sprung  from  nature  worship,  the  same 
as  the  northern  systems,  and  been  owing  to  the  growth  of  relig- 
ious sentiment  in  the  more  permanent  and  advanced  condition  of 
society  which  prevailed  at  the  south.  Still,  there  are  so  many 
Strange  symbols  in  these  districts,  resembling  those  in  oriental 
countries,  that  we  are  tempted  to  ascribe  them  to  contact  with 
civilized  races,  and  to  say  that  they  are  identically  the  same  as 


246  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

those  prevailing  in  Europe,  Asia  and  the  tar  East,  and  must  have 
been  transmitted  to  this  country.  We  do  not  undertake  to  follow 
up  the  channel  through  which  they  flowed,  nor  to  decide  as  to 
the  country  trom  which  they  came,  but  we  can  not  help  the 
conviction  that  they  bear  the  impress  of  systems  which  are  known 
in  historic  countries  and  which  appear  in  the  early  ages  in  those 

countries. 

We  imagine  that  there  was  once  in  the  far  East  a  system  ot 
nature  worship  which  was  as  rude  as  anything  found  in  America; 
that  at  that  time  the  elements  of  fire,  water,  lightning,  the  sun 
and  moon,  and  all  the  nature  powers,  were  worshiped,  or.  at  least, 
divine  attributes  ascribed  to  them.  We  are  sure  that  serpent 
worship  and  tree  worship  prevailed,  and  appeared  in  the  East, 
though  we  do  not  know  exactly  at  what  time  they  appeared. 
Phallic  worship  and  image  worship  also  came  in  at  a  certain  stage 
in  the  progress  of  thought.  The  last  served  to  corrupt  and  degrade 
the  other  systems,  and  very  soon  perverted  them,  so  that  they 
became  sources  of  degradation  to  the  people.  The  Scriptures 
condemn  these,  and  history  confirms  the  justice  of  the  sen- 
tence. The  tradition  of  the  serpent  in  the  Scriptures  may  be  an 
allegory  or  a  statement  of  fact,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  the 
serpent  worship  was  a  source  of  degradation  and  a  sentence  was 
placed  upon  it  by  enlightened  conscience.  The  personification  of 
the  nature  powers  did  not  elevate  the  people,  for  when  the  per- 
sonification grew  more  elaborate  the  moral  practices  grew  more 
degraded.  When  the  Eleusinian  mysteries  were  introduced  into 
Egypt  and  Greece,  everything  became  significant  of  the  processes 
of  nature.  Names  were  given  to  the  nature  powers,  and  myths 
were  invented  to  explain  the  origin  of  the  names  ;  but  the  myths 
and  mysteries  did  not  save  the  people  from  degradation. 

While  the  doctrine  of  immortality  and  the  future  state  was 
understood  and  the  anticipation  was  symbolized  by  nature  wor- 
ship, yet  cruelties  were  practiced  and  degraded  rites  attended  the 
worship  of  the  elements.  The  phallic  worship  and  fire  worship 
were  devoted  to  human  sacrifices,  and  sun  worship  itself  was 
attended  with  the  immolation  of  human  victims. 

All  of  these  systems  are  found  m  America,  and  their  symbols 
are  scattered  far  and  wide.  We  do  not  know  whether  they  are  to  be 
connected  with  the  decline  of  religion  in  oriental  countries,  or 
with  the  progress  of  religion  in  America,  for  they  are  closely 
connected  with  the  nature  worship,  from  which  all  moral  distinc- 
tions were  absent.  Still,  the  symbols  which,  in  Eastern  lands, 
are  suggestive  of  degraded  practices  are  the  very  Symbols  prev- 
alent here.  They  are  symbols  which,  in  the  East,  belonged  to 
the  secret  mysteries,  the  very  mysteries  which  were  so  full  of 
cruelties  and  degradations. 

We  maintain  that  the  religion  of  the  Mound-builders  not  only 
embodied  the  same  elements  as  those  which  became  so  strong 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT.  247 

in  the  oriental  religions  when  at  a  certain  stage,  but  it  shows 
how  these  elements  interacted.  The  fire  became  the  symbol  of 
the  sun  and  consumed  the  offerings  made  to  the  sun,  and  became 
sacred  as  his  servant.  The  serpent  was  frequently  regarded 
as  a  divinity  in  some  way  amenable  to  the  sun,  and  so  serpent 
pipes  and  serpent  effigies  were  connected  with  the  sun  circle  in 
the  symbolism  of  the  Mound-builders.  It  is  possible  that  there 
was  a  certain  kind  of  tree  worship;*  the  same  element  of  life  hav- 
ing its  chief  embodiment  in  the  tree,  which  was  able  to  stand  up 
in  its  force.  The  moon  cult  also  prevailed,  for  the  moon  is  al- 
ways an  attendant  upon  the  sun.  Whether  there  was  a  distinc- 
tion of  sex  between  the  sun  and  moon  is  unknown;  but  the  sun 
circle  and  the  moon  crescent  may  have  been  male  and  female. 

These  three  types  of  nature  v/orship,  in  which  the  fire,  the 
serpent  and  the  sun  were  the  chief  divinities,  probably  prevailed 
throughout  the  Mound-builders'  territory,  though  their  symbols 
varied  with  different  localities.  We  recognize  the  water  cult, 
the  solar  cult,  and  the  image  worship,  as  different  phases  of 
nature  worship;  but  we  find  that  in  the  symbols  there  was  a  re- 
markable resemblance  to  the  symbolism  of  other  countries,  and 
whether  able  or  not  to  trace  one  to  the  other,  we  are  struck  with 
the  thought  that  there  was  a  studied  and  intentional  symbolism, 
which  resembled  that  of  the  Druids,  in  all  their  earthworks.  The 
altars,  the  temple  platforms,  the  burial  mounds,  the  dance  circles, 
the  village  enclosures,  and  the  covered  ways,  were  all  here  used 
not  only  for  practical  purposes  and  such  as  would  subserve  the 
convenience  of  the  people  living  in  the  villages,  but  they  were 
especially  devoted  to  religious  purposes  and  contained  sym- 
bols in  them.  The  relics  also  were  symbolic,  and  many  of 
them  were  buried  with  the  persons, — their  very  position,  in  con- 
nection with  the  bodies,  having  a  religious  significance.  It  was 
not  one  cult  alone  that  was  symbolized  in  these,  for  some  of  the 
burial  mounds  contained  offerings  to  the  spirit  of  the  dead — the 
symbols  of  the  soul  being  placed  in  the  mouth;  but  there  were 
other  offerings  made  to  the  water,  to  the  sun,  others  to  the  fire, 
and  others  to  the  moon.  The  relics  placed  upon  the  altars,  the 
ornaments,  the  flint  discs,  the  copper  crescents,  the  mica 
plates,  the  carved  images,  and  the  pottery  figures,  were  all  conse- 
crated to  the  sun,  and,  when  placed  as  offerings  upon  the  altar, 
bore  in  their  shape  the  symbol  of  the  sun,  as  much  as  the  altars 
themselves,  or  the  earth-works  in  which  they  were  enclosed. 
There  is  no  locality  where  this  system  of  sun  worship  is  not 
symbolized.  What  is  more,  the  system  seemed  to  have  brought 
into  its  service,  ^nd  made  useful,  the  symbols  of  the  preceding 

*This  Is  the  explanation  given  by  the  Dakotas  of  tree  worship.  The  spirit  of  life 
■was  In  the  tree.  It  may  be  that  this  will  account  for  the  tree  worship  In  the  East, 
and  win  explain  how  tree  worship  and  phallic  worship  became  associated.  The  two 
in  the  East  were  symbolized  by  the  sacred  groves,  socalled,  the  symbol  of  Asharah, 
or  Astarte,  the  moon  goddess. 


248  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

stages  of  worship.     The  serpent,  the  phallic  symbol,  the  carved 
animals,  the  crescent-shaped  relics,  the  fire-beds,— all  were  as- 
sociated with  the  sun  circle  and  made  parts  of  the  symbolism  of 
sun  worship.     We  imagine  the  combination  to  have  been  as  fol- 
lows:    The  sun  symbol  was  embodied  in  the  earth  circles;  the 
moon  cult  in  the  altars;  the  fire  cult  in  the  ashes  in  and  beside 
the  altars;  the  water  cult  in  the  ponds  and  wells  found  in  and 
near  the  enclosures;  animal  worship  in  the  effigies;  the  phallic 
symbol  in  the  horse-shoe  earth-works.     We  also  find  that  the 
elements,  such  as  the  four  quarters  of  the  sky,  four  winds,  four 
points  of'the  compass,  are  symbolized  by  the  cross  and  four  con- 
centric circles.     So  we  come  to  look  at  everything  as  more  or 
less  symbolic.     It  is  remarkable,  as  we  .study  the  village  sites, 
how  many  of  the  conveniencies  of  village  life  were  placed  under 
the  protection  of  the  sun  divinity,  and  how  much  provision  was 
made  for  the  worship  of  the  sun  under  all  circumstances..    We 
notice  that  the  ponds  and  springs  are  near  the  villages;    that 
covered  ways  connect  the  villages  with  the  river's  bank,  and  we 
imagine  there  was  among  the  Mound-builders,  as  well  as  among 
the  Pueblos  and  Cliff-dwellers,  a  cult  which  regarded  springs  and 
rivers  as  sacred  and  peopled  them  with  divinities.     We  imagine 
that  the  most  sacred  ceremonies  were  observed  in  connection  with 
these  springs,  and  that  the  elaborate  earth-works  were  erected 
to  give  solemnity  to  the  various  mysteries,  which  were  directed 
by  the  secret  orders.     These  different  cults  were  combined,  but, 
for  the  sake  of  convenience,  it  will  be  well  to  take  them  up 
separately. 

I.  First  let  us  consider  the  water  cult.  This  is  a  system  which 
was  very  obscure  in  America,  as,  in  fact,  it  was  in  the  East.  It 
seems  to  have  existed  here,  but  was  closely  connected  with  the 
solar  cult,  the  ceremonies  of  that  cult  requiring  the  presence  of 
water  to  make  it  complete.  We  have  shown  how  extensively  dis- 
tributed was  the  tradition  of  the  flood  in  America,  how  varied 
was  the  symbolism  which  perpetuated  this  tradition.  We  do  not 
know  that  any  such  tradition  existed  among  the  Mound-builders 
nor  can  we  discover  any  symbol  which  perpetuated  it ;  but  the 
water  cult  which  we  recognize  is  very  similar  to  that  which  pre- 
vailed in  Europe  at  a  very  early  date,  and  was  there  symbolized 
in  the  prehistoric  earth-works.  We  turn,  then,  to  the  resemblance 
which  may  be  recognized  between  some  of  the  earth-works  in 
Southern  Ohio  and  those  in  Great  Britain.  We  have  already 
spoken  of  this,  but  as  certain  new  investigations  and  new  discov- 
eries have  been  made,  we  review  the  evidence. 

I.  The  first  group  of  works  which  we  shall  cite  is  the  one 
at  Portsmouth.  The  chief  evidence  is  given  by  the  avenues  or 
the  covered  ways,  which  seem  to  have  connected  the  enclosures 
on  the  difterent  sides  of  the  river.  These,  by  aid  of  the  ferry 
across  the  river,  must  have  been  the  scene  of  extensive  religious 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


249 


processions,  which  can  be  compared  to  nothing  better  than  the 
mysterious  processions  of  Druid  priests  which  once  characterized 
the  sacrifices  to  the  sun  among  the  ancient  works  of  Great  Brit- 
ain. It  has  been  estimated  that  the  length  of  the  avenues  or 
covered  ways  was  eight  miles.  The  parallel  walls  measure  about 
lour  feet  in  height  and  twenty  feet  base,  and  were  not  far  from 
1 60  feet  apart.  It  is  in  the  middle  group  that  we  discover  the 
phallic  symbol  (see  Fig.  i),  the  fire  cult,  the  crescent  of  the 
moon  and  the  sun  circle.  In  the  works  upon  the  west  bank  of 
the  Scioto  we  find  the  effigy  enclosed  in  a  circle  (see  Fig.  2),  as 
a  sign  of  animal  worship,  and  in  the  concentric  circles  (see  Fig.  3) 
with  the  enclosed  conical  mound,  on  the  Kentucky  side,  we  find 
the  symbols  of  sun 


Bi 


SUL( 

Boon  le  liie  Inrh 


J^frtw^J  ^r  X  C  J'ra4i 


fig.  1.— Horse  Shoe  Enclosures  at  Portsmouth, 


worship.  V/e  would 
here  call  attention 
to  the  theories  re- 
cently thrown  out 
by  Mr.  A.  L.Lewis 
that  the  water  cult 
was  combined  with 
the  sun  cult  at  the 
great  works  at  Ave- 
bury;  the  avenues 
made  of  standing 
stones  having  pass- 
ed over  the  Kennet 
Creek  before  they 
reached  the  circle  at 
Beckhampton  ;  the  same  is  true  at  Stanton  Drew  and  at  Mount 
Murray,  in  the  Isle  of  Man.  In  each  of  these  places  were  covered 
avenues  reaching  across  marshy  ground  towards  the  circles.  "If 
the  circles  were  places  of  worship  or  sacrifice,  such  avenues  con- 
necting them  with  running  streams  may  have  had  special  object 
or  meaning."* 

Mr.  Lewis  says:  "I  have  never  adopted  Stukeley's  snake 
theory,  tor  I  could  never  see  any  great  resemblance  to  a  serpent, 
nor  could  I  see  any  thing  very  suggestive  of  a  serpent  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  the  other  circles.  Still,  Stukeley's  statements  about 
the  stones  of  the  avenue,  leading  from  the  great  circle  toward 
the  river,  are  very  precise."  Stukeley  says:  " There  were  two 
sets  of  concentric  circles  surrounded  by  another  circle,  which 
was  encircled  by  a  broad,  deep  ditch,  outside  of  which  was  an 
embankment  large  enough  for  a  railway;  two  avenues  of  stone 
leading  southwest  and  southeast.  The  theory  now  is  that  they 
led  across  the  water  of  Kennet  Creek  to  Beckhampton  and  to 
Overton  Hill.     The  so-called  coves  in  the  large  circles  mark  the 


♦Journal  of  Anthropological  Institute,  February,  1891. 


250 


PREHISTORIC  MONUxMENTS. 


site  of  altars,  whereon  human  sacrifice  may  have  been  offered  to 
the  sun;  but  the  avenues  mark  the  place  through  which  proces- 
sions passed  in  making  their  sacrifices, — a  passage  over  water 
being  essential  to  the  ceremony." 

This  is  a  new  explanation  of  these  works,  but  it  is  one  which 
becomes  very  significant  in  connection  with  the  works  at  Ports- 
mouth. Here  the  avenues  approach  the  river  in  such  a  way  as 
to  show  that  a  canoe  ferry  was  used  to  cross  the  river,  the  cere- 
mony being  made  more  significant  by  that  means.  The  covered 
ways,  to  be  sure,  do  not  reach  the  edge  of  the  water,  but  termi- 
nate with  the  second  terrace,  leaving  the  bottom-land  without 
any  earth-work.  This  would  indicate  that  the  works  are  very 
old,  and  were,  in  fact,  built  when  the  waters  covered  the  bottom- 
land. It  may  be  said,  in  this  connection,  that  all  the  covered 
ways  are  similar  to  these;  they  end  at  the  second  terrace,  and 

were  evidently  built 
when  the  flood- 
plain  was  filled  with 
water.  As  addition- 
al evidence  that  the 
works  at  Ports- 
mouth were  devot- 
ed to  the  water  cult 
and  were  similar  to 
those  at  Avebury, 
in  Great  Britain,  we 
would  again  refer  to 
the  character  of  the 
works  at  either  end 
of  the  avenues. 
Without    insisting 

Fig.  t.-ESlgy  on  the  Scioto.  ^^^^     ^^^     serpent 

symbol  being  embodied  in  the  avenues,  we  think  it  can  be 
proven  that  the  most  striking  features  of  the  work  at  Avebury 
are  duplicated  here;  the  sun  symbol  being  embodied  in  the  con- 
centric circles  upon  the  Kentucky  side;  the  phallic  symbol  in 
the  horse-shoe  mounds  upon  the  Ohio  side  (see  Figs,  i,  2,  3)  and 
the  avenues  of  standing  stones  corresponded  to  the  covered  ways 
which  connected  the  enclosures  on  the  Kentucky  side  with  that 
on  the  Ohio  side. 

The  group  on  the  third  terrace  is  the  one  which  is  the  most  sig- 
nificant. Here  the  circle  surrounds  the  horseshoe,  as  the  circle 
of  stones  does  at  Avebury.  Here,  too,  is  a  natural  elevation  that 
has  been  improved  by  art,  and  made  to  serve  a  religious  pur- 
pose. Mr.  T.  W.  Kinney  says  this  mound,  which  was  a  natural 
elevation,  was  selected  as  the  site  for  a  children's  house.  In  ex- 
cavating the  cellar  there  >vas  discovered  a  circular  altar  composed 
of  stones  which   were  standing  close  together,  and  showed  evi- 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


251 


dence  of  heat.    This  altar  was  four  feet  below  the  surface.   Lead- 
ing from  the  altar  was  a  channel  about  eighteen   inches  wide, 
composed  of  clay,  which  was  supposed  to  be  designed  to  "  carry 
off  the  blood",  givingthe  idea  that  human  sacrifices  were  offered 
here,  as  they  were  upon    the  altars  at  Avebury.      Squier  and 
Davis  say  that  the  horse-shoes  constitute  the  most  striking  feat- 
ures; they  are  both  about  the  same  size^and  shape.    They  meas- 
ure about  eighty  feet  in    length  and  seventy   feet   in    breadth. 
Enclosing  these  in  part  is   a  wall  about  five  feet  high.     These 
horse-shoes  might  well  be  called  coves.    The  ground  within  them 
was  formerly  perfectly  level.     They  open  out  toward  the  river 
and  were  on  the  edge  of  the  terrace,  and  so  were  elevated  above 
the  surro  un  di  ng 
country  and    were 
in  plain  sight.  Near 
them  was  a  natural 
elevation    eighteen 
feet  high,  but  grad- 
ually subsiding  into 
a  ridge  towards  the 
enclosed  mound.  A 
full  view  of  the  en- 
tire group  may  be 
had  from   its  sum- 
mit.   The  enclosed 
mound  was  twenty- 
eight  feet    high  by 
one    hundred    and 
ten  feet  base.     It  is 
truncated  and  surrounded  by  a  low  circumvallation.     As  addi- 
tional  evidence  to  this,  we  may  mention  here  the  great  wor   s 
situated  about  a  mile  west.     See  Fig.  4.     Here  is  a  group  of  ex- 
quisite symmetry  and  beautiful  proportions.     It  consists  of  an 
embankment  of  earth,  five  feet  high,  thirty  feet  base,  with  an  in- 
terior ditch  twenty-five  feet  across  and  six  feet  deep.     Enclosed 
is  an   area   ninety   feet   in  diameter;  in   the   center  of  this   is  a 
mound   forty  feet  in  diameter  and  eight  feet  high.     There  is  a 
narrow  gateway  through  the  parapet,  and  a  causeway  over  the 
ditch  leading  to  the  enclosed  mound.     This  is  a  repetition  of  the 
central   mound  with   its  four  concentric  circles.     It  is  said  that 
there  was  near  this  a  square  enclosure   resembling  the  chunky 
yards  of  the  South,  and  that  the  group  taken  together  was  of  a 
Southern  type.     There  are  several  small  circles,  measuring  from 
one  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  diameter; 
also  a  few  mounds  in  the  positions  indicated  in  the  plan.* 

Most  noticeable  is  a  mound  within  four  concentric  circles,  placed 

*Mounds  like  this  are  common  In  this  district  and  may  be  regarded  as  sun  sym- 
bols. See  the  cut  of  works  at  Portsmouth;  also  of  terraced  mound  in  Greenup 
County,  Kentucky,  and  at  Winchester,  Indiana. 


C 


tS^i9*r*JL  hyJt.QS^uia,      ^m^  £  //.J>a^. 


Fig.  S.—Sun  Circles, 


252 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


at  irregular  intervals  in  respect  to  each  other.  These  were  cut 
at  right  angles  by  four  broad  avenues  which  conform  nearly  to 
the  cardinal  points.  From  the  level  summit  of  this  mound  a 
complete  view  of  every  part  of  this  work  is  commanded.  On 
the  supposition  that  it  was  in  some  way  connected  with  religious 
rites,  the  mound  afforded  the  most  conspicuous  place  for  their 
observance.     See  Fig.  3. 

"  The  mound  in  the  center,  at  first  glance,  might  be  taken  for 
a  natural  elevation.  It  is  possible  that  it  is  a  detached  spur  of 
the  hill  enlarged  and  modified  by  art.  It  is  easy  while  standing 
on  the  summit  of  this   mound  to  people  it  with  the  strange 


J^'iy.  U — 'Iti  racKd  MuiinO,  op/juaiie  2'oriAiiioMn. 


priesthood  of  ancient  superstition  and  fill  its  walls  with  the 
thronging  devotees  of  mysterious  worship.  The  works  were  de- 
voted to  religious  purposes  and  were  symbolic  in  their  design."* 
Atwater  speaks  of  this  group  as  having  wells  in  close  proximity 
to  the  horse-shoes.  He  speaks  of  the  earth  between  the  parallel 
walls  as  having  been  leveled  by  art  and  appear  to  have  been 
used  as  a  road-way  by  those  who  came  down  the  river  for  the 
purpose  of  ascending  the  high  place.  We  have  dwelt  upon  these 
peculiarities  of  the  works  at  Portsmouth  for  the  very  reason  that 
they  seem  to  prove  the  existence  of  a  water  cult,  and  because  it 
so  closely  resembles  those  in  which  the  water  cult  has  been  rec- 
ognized in  Great  Britain.  We  maintain,  however,  that  it  was  a 
cult  which  was  associated  with  sun  worship,  and  that  the  phallic 
symbol  was  embodied  here.  We  maintain  that  sacrifices  were 
offered  to  the  sun,  and  that  the  human  victims  were  kept  in  the 
corral  on  one  side  of  the  river  ;  that  they  were  transported  across 
the  water  and  carried  up  to  the  third  terrace,  and  immolated 


•Ancient  Monuments,  page  82. 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


253 


near  the  horseshoe,  and  that  afterwards  the  processions  passed 
down  the  terrace,  through  the  avenue,  across  the  river,  a  second 
time,  and  mounted  the  spiral  pathway  to  the  summit  of  the  ter- 
raced mound  situated  at  the  end  of  the  avenue. 

In  reference  to  this  corral,  so  called  (see  Fig.  5).  we  may  say 
that  the  walls  surrounding  the  area  are  very  heavy,  and  are 
raised  above  the  area  enclosed,  in  places  as  much  as  fifty  feet. 
They  convey  the 
idea  that  the  en- 
closure was  for 
holding  captives, 
for  they  resemble 
the  walls  of  a  state's 
prison  rather  than 
those  of  a  fort ;  be- 
ing level  on  the  top 
and  made  as  if  de- 
signed for  a  walk 
for  sentinels.  The 
parallel  walls  or 
covered  ways  on 
each  side  of  this 
enclosure  have  an 
explanation  from 
this  theory.  They 
were  built  to  the 
end  of  the  terrace 
and  were  probably 
intended  to  protect 
the  sentinels  who 
were  stationed  at 
the  ends.  They 
command  exten- 
sive views,  both  up 
and  down  the  river, 
and  were  conve- 
nient places  from 
which  to  watch  the 
enemy,    as    they 

might  approach  to  release  the  captives.  The  groups  upon  the 
Kentucky  side  and  the  efifigies  on  the  Scioto  are  connected  with 
these  horse-shoes  and  with  one  another  by  the  avenues.  The 
group  to  the  east  is  the  most  interesting  on  account  of  its  sym- 
bolism, and  the  mo.st  interesting  part  of  it  is  the  mound  with  the 
spiral  pathway. 

2.  The  works  at  Newark  are  next  to  be  considered.  These 
works  are  described  in  the  chapter  on  "sacred"  or  village  en- 
closures, but  we  take  them  up  here  in  connection  with  the  water 


Fig.  5.— Corral. 


254  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

cult.  The  most  remarkable  feature  of  this  entire  group  of  works 
is  that  presented  by  the  various  lines  of  parallel  walls,  which  ex- 
tend from  one  enclosure  to  another,  and  from  the  enclosures  to 
the  water's  edge.  There  were  five  sets  of  parallels:  One  has 
been  traced  from  the  octagon  westward  for  about  two  miles; 
another  extends  from  the  octagon  toward  the  large  square  for 
about  a  mile  in  length ;  a  third  extends  from  the  octagon  to  the 
bottom-land, and  probably  once  reached  the  water's  edge;  a  fourth 
extended  from  the  circle  called  the  old  fort  to  the  square;  a 
fifth  extended  from  an  irregular  circle,  on  the  edge  of  the  ter- 
race, to  the  bottom-land,  and,  perhaps,  to  the  water's  edge. 

One  of  the  peculiarities  of  these  parallels  is  that  the  roadway, 
in  many  places,  was  elevated  above  the  wall.  In  the  northern 
avenue  this  elevated  grade  extends  for  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  and  is 
broad  enough  for  fifty  persons  to  walk  abreast.  A  similar  grade 
is  found  in  the  avenue  that  leads  from  the  large  square  to  the 
irregular  circle.  The  same  is  true  of  the  parallel  leading  from  the 
large  circle,  down  the  terrace,  to  the  South  Fork.  The  bank  ot 
the  third  terrace,  here  20  feet  high,  is  cut  down  and  graded  to  an 
easy  ascent.  The  roadway  is  elevated  above  the  walls,  and  ex- 
tends out  upon  the  alluvial  bottoms  beyond  the  wall.  A  similar 
grade  is  constructed  at  the  extremity  of  the  northern  wall. 
There  was  a  road  excavated  into  the  terrace  for  one  hundred 
and  fifty  feet,  but  the  earth  was  used  to  form  an  elevated  way 
over  the  low,  swampy  ground  at  the  foot  of  the  terrace.  These 
excavations  constitute  quite  an  imposing  feature  when  seen  on 
the  spot.  The  inquiry  is,  what  was  the  object  in  erecting  these 
parallel  walls,  and  making  such  elevated  roadways,  with  grades 
at  the  ends  of  the  roads  leading  to  the  bottom-lands?  The  water 
is  now  not  there  and  the  grade  seems  to  be  useless.  One  sup- 
position is,  that  at  the  time  the  works  were  erected,  the  water 
flowed  over  the  first  terrace  and  washed  up  to  the  foot  of  the 
second  terrace;  and  that  these  grades  were  used  for  canoe  land- 
ings.* Why  are  the  roadways  elevated  and  made  so  broad? 
Were  they  designed  for  the  passage  of  armies,  with  troops 
marching  abreast?  Were  they  designed  for  religious  proces- 
sions, which  were  led  from  the  water  to  the  sacred  enclosures? 
Let  us  examine  the  works  moie  particularly.  Squier  and  Davis 
say  that  a  number  of  small  circles  were  found  within  the  paral- 

*Mr.  Isaac  Smucker  says  the  terrace  was  fltty  feet  above  the  bottom  land;  very  few 
mounds  and  no  walls  on  the  bottom  lands.  He  thinks  one  set  of  parallels  may  have 
led  across  Licking  Creek  to  Lancaster.  He  says  that  formerly  there  was  a  tort  on  a 
hill  to  the  west  of  these  works;  a  fort,  which  contained  lifty  acres,  whose  walls 
were  conformed  to  the  outline  of  the  hill.  This  may  have  been  another  of  the  hill 
forts,  which  were  used  by  the  sun  worshipers  as  a  refuge  when  their  villages  were 
attacked.  He  also  says  that  the  works  extended  from  the  Raccoon  to  the  Licking 
and  covered  the  plain.  The  octagon  was  on  the  bank  of  one  stream,  the  irregular 
circle  and  graded  way  near  the  forks,  and  the  parallel  led  toward  the  other  stream. 
The  alligator  etiig.v  and  the  fort  referred  to  were  several  miles  west.  He  speaks  of  a 
reservoir  or  artificial  lake,  twenty  rods  in  diameter,  and  a  sugar-loaf  mound,  about 
fifteen  teet  high,  situated  on  one  of  the  bluffs,  also  of  a  crescent  earth-work  and  large 
enclosure  between  the  alligator  mound  and  the  old  fort.  See  American  Antiquarian. 
Vol.  VII,  Page  349. 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT.  255 

lels, — they  probably  mark  the  site  of  ancient  circular  dwellings. 
Circles  having  diameters  of  one  hundred  feet,  with  ditches  inter- 
ior to  the  walls,  and  elevated  embankments  interior  to  the  ditch, 
are  also  seen  at  various  points  at  the  ends  and  along  the  sides  of 
the  covered  way.  These  circles,  with  their  enclosed  crescents, 
betray  a  coincidence  with  those  connected  with  the  squares  and 
covered  ways  at  Hopeton,  at  Highland  and  elsewhere.  May 
they  not  have  been  circles  in  which  religious  houses  were  placed? 
There  is  one  circumstance  which  favors  this  supposition.  Mr. 
Isaac  Smucker  says  there  was  a  group  of  burial  mounds  near 
the  old  fort,  around  which  was  a  paved  circle  eight  feet  wide, — 
the  mounds  being  closely  connected  at  the  base.  Each  one  of 
the  mounds  was  made  up  of  a  series  of  layers  of  earth  alternating 
with  layers  of  sand,  followed  by  layers  of  cobble  stone, — the  cob- 
ble stones  being  first  placed  over  a  strong  burning.  In  the 
mounds  six  or  eight  post  holes  were  discovered  filled  with  sand ; 
the  center  post  extending  down  several  feet.  The  conclusion 
was,  that  the  conical  buildings  and  rotundas  had  been  built  upon 
these  mounds;  and  that  fires  and  burials  or  burnings  had  taken 
place  in  the  rotundas.  Different  hearths  or  fire  beds  had  been 
built  inside,  making  different  occasions  of  sacrifice.  Mr.  I. 
Dille  says:  "To  the  east  of  the  line  of  embankments  on  the 
second  bottom  of  the  creek,  are  numerous  mounds.  In  1828, 
when  constructing  the  canal,  a  lock  was  built  here.  Fourteen 
human  skeletons  were  found  four  feet  beneath  the  surface,  some 
of  which  seemed  to  have  been  burned.  Over  these  skeletons, 
carefully  placed,  was  a  large  quantity  of  mica  in  sheets  and  in 
plates;  some  of  them  were  eight  and  ten  inches  long,  and  four 
and  five  inches  wide.  It  is  said  that  from  fourteen  to  twenty 
bushels  of  this  material  were  thrown  out." 

We  are  to  notice,  in  this  connection,  the  various  religious 
works  at  Newark,  i.^he  effigies  ;  there  was  a  bird  effigy  inside 
the  old  fort,  with  its  altar;  an  alligator  effigy,  with  its  altar,  at 
Granville.  2.  The  circles;  there  are  circles  inside  the  avenues, 
various  circles  on  the  terrace  inside  the  large  enclosures  ;  many 
of  these  circles  have  crescents,  showing  that  the  moon  cult  pre- 
vailed. 3.  The  ponds  and  water-courses  ;  the  pond  near  the  old 
fort  has  a  peculiar  shape.  4.  The  corrals;  the  old  fort  was  a  good 
specimen;  it  resembled  that  at  Portsmouth,  on  the  Kentucky 
side  ;  this  had  the  ditch  on  the  inside  and  had  a  high  wall,  which 
gave  the  impression  that  it  was  designed  to  hold  captives  within 
the  area  rather  than  to  defend  the  area  from  an  attack  from  with- 
out. 5.  The  parallel  walls  located  near  the  fort;  these  were 
undoubtedly  for  the  trial  of  captives,  where  they  ran  the  gaunt- 
let. 6.  The  network  of  walls  and  gateways ;  this  can  be 
explained  only  on  the  supposition  that  elaborate  ceremonies  were 
observed  here ;  the  walls  can  not  be  regarded  as  game-drives; 
they  may  have  been  designed  for  protection  of  the  villages,  but. 


256 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


if  so,  they  were  villages  of  a  class  of  sun-worshipers.  But  it  is 
probable  that  here  all  forms  of  worship — animal  worship,  fire 
worship,  moon  worship,  water  cult — were  mingled  together  and 
brought  under  the  control  of  the  solar  cult. 

3.  The  same  lesson  is  impressed  upon  us  as  we  go  away  from  this 
series  of  works  and  enter  the  circles  and  sacred  enclosures  on 
the  Scioto  River,  on  Paint  Creek,  the  Muskingum  River,  the 
Miami  River  and  the  White  River.  In  nearly  all  of  these  places 
we  find  the  enclosures  having  the  form  of  the  square  and  the 
circle,  and  having  about  the  same  area  as  those  of  Newark.  We 
find  also  that  there  are  small  circles  with  ditches  and  small  cres- 
cent embankments  inside  of  the  circles ;  also  gateways  opening 
toward  the  enclosures,  giving  the  idea  that  they  were  places  of 
sacred  assembly  and  at  the  same  time  symbolic  in  character.  We 
notice,  too,  that  in  many  ot  the  groups  there  are  covered  ways 
resembling  those  at  Newark,  and  that  the  graded  ways  generally 

lead  from  the  sacred  en- 
closures to  the  water's 
edge,  giving  the  idea  that 
they  were  used  for  pro- 
cessions, the  water  cult 
being  common  in  all  of 
the  localities.  At  Mari- 
etta the  graded  way  leads 
from  the  second  terrace 
up  to  the  third  terrace, 
and  connects  the  enclos- 
ure and  the  three  temple 
platforms  with  the  river, 
thus  giving  the  impression  that  they  were  used  for  religious 
purposes  rather  than  for  warlike,  that  processions  leading  captives 
passed  from  the  watpr's  edge  up  to  the  temples  and  to  the  high 
conical  mound.* 

Mr.  Harris  says  there  was  at  Marietta  a  well  sixty  feet  deep 
and  twenty  feet  in  diameter,  of  the  kind  used  in  early  days,  when 
water  was  brought  up  in  pitchers  by  steps.  This  well  may  have 
been  for  the  convenience  of  the  people  living  in  the  enclosures, 
but  its  proximity  to  the  temple  platforms  and  the  conical  mound 
and  the  graded  way  makes  it  significant. 

4.  The  works  at  Paint  Creek.  There  were  wells  or  reservoirs 
inside  both  the  enclosures  at  this  point.  Atwater  says  in  one 
there  was  a  large  pond  or  reservoir  fifteen  feet  deep  and  thirty-nine 


Fig.  6.— Works  at  Paint  Creek. 


•Squier  and  Davis  say  there  was  a  sloping  terrace  700  feet  wide  between  the  end 
of  the  covered  way  and  the  bank  of  the  river;  that  there  were  no  works  on  this  ter- 
race, which  was  about  forty  or  fifty  feet  above  the  river.  They  seem  to  doubt  that  the 
river  flowed  over  the  terrace  at  the  time  that  tlie  graded  way  was  built.  It  is  possi- 
ble that  the  village  was  upon  this  terrace,  and  that  the  inclosure  upon  the  upper 
terrace  was  the  sacred  place,  where  the  chiefs  dwelt,  and  that  the  graded  way  with 
the  protecting  walls  were  designed  for  processions  from  the  village  to  the  temples, 
though  the  otner  supposition  is  a  plausible  one. 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


257 


feet  in  diameter.  It  was  supplied  by  a  rivulet  which  runs  through 
the  wall,  but  at  present  sinks  into  the  earth.  These  wells  may- 
have  been  merely  for  the  convenience  of  the  villagers,  but  there 
are  so  many  places  where  hot  houses  or  assembly  houses  were 
placed  near  ponds  of  water  or  streams  or  springs,  we  conclude 
that  water  served  an  important  part  in  the  religious  ceremonies. 
These  enclosures  on  Paint  Creek  contain  mounds  or  sacrificial 
places,  which  seem  to  be  connected  with  the  ponds.  Atwater 
speaks  of  one  covered  with  stones  and  pebbles.  He  says  this 
mound  was  full  of  human  bones.  Some  have  expressed  the  be- 
lief that  on  it  human  beings  were  once  sacrificed.  Near  this 
was  an  elliptical  mound,  built  in  two  stages,  one  eight  feet  high, 
the  other  fifteen  feet.  On  the  other  side  of  the  large  mound  was 
a  work  in  the  form  of  a  half  moon,  set  round  the  edges  with 
stones,  and  near  this  a  singular 


.\naent  earthwork  on  tection  16,  tovnahip 
9,  Donh  range  8,  Dear  Aodersoo,  lad- 
I  inch— ISO  leet 


. — Sacred  Enclosure  near  Anderson. 


mound,  five  feet  high  and  thirty 
feet  in  diameter,  and  composed 
entirely  of  red  ochre,  an  abund- 
ance of  which  is  found  on  a  hill 
near  by.  The  small  circular 
enclosure  opens  into  a  large  area 
and  connects  with  it  by  a  gate- 
way. Inside  the  circle  is  a  lesser 
circle,  six  rods  in  diameter. 
It  seems  probable  that  this  cir- 
cle marks  the  site  of  the  rotunda 
and  that  the  whole  enclosure  was 
used  for  sacred  purposes,  the  *^' 
larger  enclosure  being  the  place  where  the  imposing  religious 
ceremonies  were  observed.  Atwater  speaks  especially  of  the 
wells,  one  of  them  being  inside  of  the  enclosure,  near  the  mound, 
and  others  outside  the  walls.  It  would  seem  from  the  proximity 
of  the  wells  to  the  mounds  that  there  were  here  the  water  cult,  the 
fire  cult,  the  moon  cult  combined,  and  the  complicated  system 
of  religion  in  which  the  priests  had  great  power.*     See  Fig.  6. 

Another  locality  where  the  water  cult  is  apparent  is  on  the 
White  River,  in  Indiana.  Here,  in  one  place,  is  a  square  enclos- 
ure with  a  diameter  of  1320  and  1080  feet,  which  has  a  mound 
in  the  center  nine  feet  high  and  oneliundred  feet  in  diameter. 
This  is  on  the  fair  grounds  at  Winchester.  Near  Anderson,  on 
the  banks  of  the  White  River,  there  is  a  group  of  small  enclos- 
ures. One  of  these  has  a  constricted  elliptical  embankment  one 
hundred  and  fifty  feet  in  diameter.  Another  has  a  length  of  two 
hundred  and  ninety-six  feet  and  a  width  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 
feet, — the  wall  being  thirty-five  feet  at  base  and  four  feet  high; 
ditch,  eight  feet  wide,  with  a  gateway  which  is  protected  by  two 


♦Ancient  Works  on  Paint  Creek. 


258 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


small  mounds.  On  the  same  section  is  a  group  containing  four 
circles,  two  ellipses,  and  a  terraced  mound.  The  embankment 
ol  one  at  the  base  is  fifty  feet  wide  and  nine  feet  hi§h;  the  ditch 
is  five  feet  wide,  ten  and  one  half  feet  deep.  The  central  area  is 
130  feet  in  diameter,  and  contains  a  mound  four  feet  high  and 

30  feet  in  diameter.  The  gate- 
way is  30  feet  wide.    Carriages 
may  drive  in  through  the  gate- 
way and  around  the   mound 
on  the  terrace,  and  have  room 
to  spare.    The  group  is  an  in- 
teresting one,  and  was  evident- 
ly  designed  to    be  symbolic. 
Other  earth-works  similar  to 
this  are  found  near  Cambridge, 
in  Wayne  County.   Here  there 
are  two  circles,  with  embank- 
ments four  feet  high,  and  wide 
enough  on  the  top  to  allow 
two    carriages    to    pass    each 
is   on  the  inside   of  the  embankment,  and 
is    a    circular,    level  area,    with  a  causeway 
ditch  through  the  gateway.     These  are  situ- 
of  the  Whitewater    River.     A  passage-way 

from 


Fig.  S.—Sun  Circle  on  White  River. 

other.     The    ditch 
within    the    ditch 
leading  across  the 


ated  on  the  bank 

leads  from  the  bluff  to  the  water's  edge,  equally  distant 

both  circles. 

These  circles  seem  to  be  all  religious  symbols,  the  enclosure 
with  the  circular  mound  and 
ditch,  and  passageway  across  the 
ditch,  being  symbolic  of  the  sun, 
the  constricted  ellipses  being  a 
symbol  which  resembles  the 
banner  stones.  The  graded  ways 
from  these  small  enclosures  to 
the  water's  edge  show  that  with 
the  solar  cult  the  water  cult  was 
here  associated. 

There  are   several    structures 
devoted  to  the  water  cult  on  the 

Kanawha  River,  in  West  Virgin-  ^9.  9-Circle  and  ElUpse  near  Anderson, 

ia,  and  on  the  Wateree  River,  in 

North  Carolina.  These  resemble  the  earth-works  in  Southern 
Ohio.  Their  peculiarities  are  that  they  are  circular  enclosures, 
have  uniform  measurement  of  660  feet  in  circumference,  have  a 
ditch  on  the  inside  and  a  mound  on  the  inside  of  the  ditch. 
Several  of  the  circles  have  a  truncated  mound  situated  outside 
of  the  gateway  and  guarding  the  entrance,  conveying  the  idea 
that  there  may  have  been  a  rotunda  on  the  summit,  and  an 


Ancient  earthworks  on  nortljesst  comer 
tection  16.  township  9.  range  8,  near  Andcr- 
■on,  Madison  county,  Ind. 

I  inch-160  tccL 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


259 


assembly  place  or  council  house  inside  the  circle.  There  is  near 
one  of  these  circles  a  graded  way  which  leads  from  the  enclosure 
through  the  terrace  down  to  the  bottom  land  of  the  Kanawha 
River,  a  feature  which  is  noticeable  in  the  Ohio  mounds,  and  was 
there  ascribed  to  the  water  cult.  One  of  these  mounds  was  ex- 
plored and  found  to  contain  an  altar  exactly  like  the  altars  in 
Ohio  It  was  covered  with  charred  human  bones.  There  were 
in  the  same  mound,  at  different  depths,  skeletons ;  one  recum- 
bent, two  in  sitting  posture.  The  altar  was  at  the  bottom,  this 
showing  that  the  ancient  race  was  the  same  as  the  sun  worship- 


Fig.  10.— Sun  Circles  and  Graded  Way  on  the  Kanaivha  River. 

ers  of  Ohio.  But  it  was  followed  by  others,  who  built  mounds, 
but  did  not  build  altars. 

5.  The  same  lesson  is  conveyed  by  the  graded  ways,  which  have 
been  discovered  in  the  Southern  States,  and  which,  according  to 
Squier  and  Davis,  are  quite  numerous.  Descriptions  have  been 
given  of  these  by  Mr.  Bartram,  and  his  explanation  of  them  was 
that  they  had  been  used  for  avenues  which  connected  the  estufas 
with  the  artificial  ponds  used  for  bathing.  They  are  called  savan- 
nahs, as  they  are  now  meadows,  but  they  were  once  undoubtedly 
filled  with  water  and  are  artificial.  The  mounds  were  probably 
foundations  for  rotundas. 

Mr.  H.  S.  Halbert  has  described  another  mound  situated  in 
Winston  County,  Mississippi.  Here  was  a  mound  about  forty 
feet  high  with  a  semicircular  rampart  surrounding  it.  A  road- 
way led  from  this  mound  towards  the  creek,  but  ended   in  the 


260 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


Flan  and  S  ection.  of  Altar 


r^^^\' 


V 


...  ■■  JgJ?- 

Fig.  11.— Altar. 


\ 


intervening  swamp.      The  Messier  mound  in  Georgia  is  another 
specimen  also.     This  is  a  pyramid,  which  was  once  surrounded 
by  a  rampart  or  wall.     There  is  near  it  a  large,  artificial  pond, 
covering  an  area  of  about  two  acres,  and  an  immense  circular 
well  forty-eight  feet  deep.     The  mound  is  one  of  the  largest  in  the 
Southern  States, — 320  feet  long,  180  feet  wide,  57  feet  high,  sit- 
uated upon  the  summit  of  a  hill.     It  was  not  erected  for  defen- 
sive purposes,  but  as  a  temple.     In 
the  religious  festivals  observed  here, 
ablutions  served  an  important  part, 
and  water  was  an  essential  element. 
II.  We  now  come  to  the  system 
of  sun  worship.     This  was  a  very 
extensive  system,    and  one  which 
seemed  to  rule  over  all  others.     In 
fact,  we  may  say  that  all  the  other 
systems  are  adjuncts  or  tributaries 
to  this.     Sun  worship  was  widely 
distributed,  and  prevailed  among  nearly  all  the  districts  in  the 
Mound-builders'  territory,  though   it   is   the  most  prominent  in 
the  middle  and  southern  districts.     It  found  its  highest,  or,  at 
least,  most  complicated,  development  in  Southern  Ohio.     Here 
a  very  ancient  people  were  devoted  to  sun  worship,  whose  history 
is  unknown,  but  whose  works  and  relics  were  left  in  great  num- 
bers.    We  enter  this  district,  and  shall  study  the  earth-works  and 
relics  here,  with  the  idea  that  we  shall  ascertain  something  about 
the  system      There  is  no  part  of  the  country  where  the  tokens 
are  more  suggestive  and  interesting.     In  fact,  nearly  everything 
here  is  suggestive  of  this  system.     A  most  complicated  series  of 
earth-works,  some  of  them  designed  for  villages,  some  of  them 
for  forts,  some  for  dance  circles,  some  for 
burial  places,  some  for  council  houses, 
but  they  were  all  symbolic.     Here  were 
also  many  solid  mounds,  some  of  which 
contain   altars ;    others    were    sacrificial 
places;    others   were   lookout    stations; 
others    were    temple    platforms;    others 
were  places  ot  religious  assembly;  but 
in  all  of  these  we  find  symbols  of  the 
sun.     It  would  seem  as  if  the  sun  wor- 
shipers had  been  so  impressed  with  their 
system  that  they  had   used  the    works 
tors  to  worship — the  hilltops,  the  valleys,  the  streams,  the  very 
springs  having  been  used  by  them  in  carrying  out  the  different 
parts  of  their  varied  cult.     The  clan  life  prevailed  here,  and  clan 
villages  were  numerous;  clan  emblems  were  not  uncommon,  but 
sun  worship  was  the  uniform  element  with  all  the  clans.     This 
uniformity  extended  not  merely  to  the  river  system,  bringing 


rian  of  .Star 

■    'tV   -'it 


Fig,  12.— Altar. 

of  nature  as  contribu- 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


261 


together  the  clans  scattered  along  each  river,  but  it  extended 
also  from  river  to  river,  and  brought  together  the  people  of  the 
entire  district  into  one  grand  confederacy.  This  confederacy- 
extended  from  the  White  River,  in  Indiana,  to  the  Muskingum, 
in  Ohio,  and  may  have  embraced  all  the  country  between  the 
Wabash  and  the  Alleghany  Rivers.  There  are  also  some  evi- 
dences that  it  extended  from  Kentucky  into  West  Virginia,  and 
that  the  works  upon  the  Kenawha  River  and  the  Licking  River 
belonged  to  the  same  system. 

The  altar  mounds  described  in  the   cuts  (Figs,  ii  to  14)  con- 
tain no  relics.     The  first 
one  contained  fragments 
of  pottery;  the  second  a 
mass  of  lime  and  frag- 
ments of  calcined  shells. 
May  it  not  be 
that   pottery 
vessels    were 
offered  in  one 

Fig.  IS.-AUar  Mound*  ^^^    inscribed 

shell  gorgets  in  the  other,  the  fire  having  reduced  these  to  ashes. 
The  other  mounds  in  this  enclosure  contained  altars  on  which 
offerings  of  costly  and  highly  wrought  relics  had  been  placed — 
two  hundred  pipes  on  one,  large  quantities  of  galena,  thirty 
pounds  in  all,  on  another,  obsidian  arrows  and  pearl  beads  on 
another,    copper  gravers    and    or-  ^  ^ 

naments  made  of  copper  and  cov- 
ered with  silver  on  another.  The 
mica  crescent  depicted  in  Fig.  15 
was  at  the  bottom  of  the  largest 
mound,  one  which  overlooked  the 
whole  group.  The  crescent  was  shelving,  its  outer  edge  being 
raised  a  few  inches  above  the  inner  edge,  but  there  was  no  altar 
in  the  mound  and  no  other  relics.  The  location  of  the  group 
of  mounds  is  to  be  noticed  here.     "Mound  City"  is  opposite  the 


Fig,  U.— Altar  in  Relief. 


*The  description  of  the  mounds  containing  the  altars  is  given  in  another  chap- 
ter The  altars  represented  in  cuts  11  and  12  were  found  in  mounds  Nos.  2  and  4.  No. 
3  contained  a  double  altar.  This  altar  showed  marks  of  intense  heat.  The  rehcs 
which  had  been  offered  were  varied;  arrow-points  of  obsidian,  of  limpid  quartz,  ot 
copper  gravers  or  chisels,  copper  tubes  and  carved  pipes.  In  mound  No.  8  was  an 
altar  somewhat  resembling  thai  In  Mound  No.  2.  The  deposit  on  this  altar  was  very 
extensive-  200  pipes  carved  in  stone,  pearl  and  shell  beads,  discs  and  tubes  niade  ot 
copper  copper  ornaments  covered  with  silver.  Masses  of  copper  were  found  fused 
too^ether  In  the  center  of  the  basin.  The  pipes  were  In  fragments  They  represented 
animals,  such  as  the  otter,  heron,  flsh,  hawlc  with  bird  in  its  talons,  panther,  bear, 
wolf,  beaver,  squirrel, raccoon,  crow,  swallow,  buzzard,paroquet,  toucan,  turtle,  frog, 
toad,  rattlesnake,  and  a  number  of  sculptured  human  heads.  Mound  No.  ,  was  the 
one  which  contained  the  crescent,  Fig.  \X  It  was  the  largest  and  highest  of  the 
group,  and  commanded  a  view  of  the  entire  group.  It  contained  no  altar,  merely  a 
clay  floor,  but  the  crescent  was  shelving  or  dish-shaped;  the  outer  edge  rested  on  an 
elevation  of  sand,  six  Inches  in  height.  The  mica  crescent  was  the  chief  feature  ot 
the  mound,  though  the  earth  of  the  mound  was  Incredibly  compact.  Mound  No.  9 
contained  an  altar  and  a  layer  of  charcoal.  In  the  altar  were  instruments  of  obsid- 
ian scrolls  of  mica,  traces  of  cloth,  ivory  and  bone  needles,  pearl  beads.  The  articles 
contained  in  the  altars  show  an  extensive  aboriginal  trade  as  well  as  an  advanced 
stage  of  art  The  symbolism  contained  In  the  alturs  prove  that  the  offerings  were 
made  to  the  sun  and  moon.  See  chapter  on  Altars  and  Ash-pits ;  see  also  figure  of 
Mound  City. 


262  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

enclosure  at  Hopeton  and  nearly  opposite  the  square  enclosure 
at  Cedar  Bank.  The  covered  way  at  Hopeton  leads  toward 
Mound  City.  May  it  not  be  that  this  was  the  way  through  which 
processions  passed  on  the  occasions  when  the  annual  burial  feast 
or  "great  burning"  took  place  ?  The  passage  across  the  river  by 
a  ferry  to  the  place  of  burning  would  resemble  the  Egyptian 
custom,  and  would  fulfil  the  picture  which  Virgil  has  drawn  of 
Charon  crossing  the  river  Styx  with  the  souls  of  the  dead.* 

Let  us  take  up  the  works  in  detail,  and  see  the  symbolism 
contained  in  them.  We  notice  that  there  are  truncated  pyramids 
or  platforms  in  this  district,  generally  inside  of  square  enclosures, 
that  they  were  orientated  and  had  inclined  passage-ways  to  their 
summits.  We  notice  also  that  there  were  elliptical  and  conica' 
mounds  inside  of  the  circular  enclosures,  many  of  them  sur- 
rounded by  pavements  in  the 
form  of  ellipses  and  crescents.  We 
also  notice  that  these  large  en- 
closures are  always  connected  by 
parallel  walls  or  covered  ways 
with  the  clusters  of  small  circles 
and  crescents;  that  the  altar 
Fig.  15.— Crescent  Pavement.  mounds  are  generally  surrounded 

by  circular  walls;  that  even  lookout  mounds  are  inside  of  circles. 
We  notice  further  that  there  are  terraced  mounds  with  spiral 
pathways  on  their  sides,  and  many  of  these  have  ditches  and 
circles  surrounding  them,  some  of  them  have  several  concentric 
circles.  We  notice  also  that  some  of  the  enclosures  are  in  the 
shape  of  constricted  ellipses,  others  have  triangular  gateways, 
others  combine  the  square  and  circle  in  one.  We  notice  also 
that  the  altars  aie  carefully  built  in  the  form  of  circles  and  squares. 
We  conclude  that  a  complicated  system  of  symbolism  prevailed, 
a  symbolism  devoted  to  sun  worship.  We  notice  further  that 
the  relics  are  symbolic,  that  while  many  of  the  pipes  were  carved 
in  the  shape  of  animals  and  serpents,  some  of  the  tablets  were 
inscribed  with  human  tree  figures.  The  mica  plates  and  copper 
ornaments  and  other  metallic  relics  were  in  the  shape  of  crescents, 
circles  and  scrolls.  Some  of  them  had  the  suastika  inscribed 
upon  them,  a  mingled  symbolism  being  apparent  in  the  relics. 
We  notice  still  further  the  resemblance  between  the  earth-works 
and  the  relics,  animal  figures  being  found  in  some  of  them,  as 
in  the  pipes,  but  crescents,  circles  and  scalloped  figures  in  the 
earth-works  as  well  as  in  the  tablets  and  metallic  relics.  While 
the  suastika  has  not  been  recognized  in  an  earth-work,  the  cross 
has  been.  The  serpent  and  the  bird  efifigy  are  well  known,  but 
these  remind  us  of  the  figures  on  the  inscribed  shell  gorgets  so 

•H.  S.  Halbert  speaks  of  an  ancient  road  which  crosses  the  Tombigbee,  connect- 
ing the  cemetery  on  Line  Creek  In  Mississippi  and  Mound-builders'  settlements  in 
Alabama.  The  habit  of  crossing  streams  with  the  bodies  of  the  dead  is  an  old  one, 
and  was  common  among  the  Egyptians  and  other  Eastern  nations. 


t4 

CQ 

M 
o 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT.  263 

common  in  the  South,  the  elliptical  enclosure  in  the  body  of  the 
serpent  resembling  the  same  figure  on  the  inscribed  shells. 

The  earth-works  of  Ohio  were  designed  to  protect  the  vil- 
lages, which  were  so  numerous  there,  but  they  were  villages 
which  were  pervaded  by  sun  worship.  The  people  dwelling 
within  them  were  surrounded  by  the  symbols  of  the  siin  and 
followed  all  the  processes  of  village  life  under  the  control  of  this 
luminary.  They  went  to  the  fields,  to  the  dance  grounds,  to  the 
places  of  assembly,  to  the  ponds  and  streams  and  springs  under 
its  protection,  and  even  placed  their  dead  in  graves  or  upon  altars 
which  were  symbolic  of  the  sun.  When  they  conducted  war, 
they  brought  back  their  captives,  kept  them  for  a  time  in  enclos- 
ures consecrated  to  the  sun,  and  afterwards  immolated  them  as 
victims  and  perhaps  presented  their  bodies  or  hearts  as  offerings 
to  the  sun,  making  the  remarkable  terraced  mounds  the  place 
where  this  chief  rite  was  celebrated.  The  platform  mounds  may 
have  been  foundations  for  temples;  they  were,  however,  temples 
which  were  depositories  for  the  bodies  of  theireminent  men,  rather 
than  assembly  places,  and  were  approached  by  great  and  solemn 
processions,  the  graded  and  covered  ways  having  been  built  for 
the  express  purposeof  accommodating  these  ceremonies.  There 
was  nothing  like  this  among  the  aborigines  of  the  North  or  of 
the  South,  though  we  imagine  that  if  we  substituted  stone  mon- 
uments for  the  earth-works  that  the  Druidic  system  which  pre- 
vailed in  Great  Britain  would  fit  the  frame  and  make  the  two 
pictures  very  similar.  There  was  no  living  race  in  America 
that  had  any  such  symbolism  or  customs.  The  nearest  approach 
to  it  would  be  the  confederacies  of  the  South,  that  were  in  the 
midst  of  the  pyramids,  and  who  occupied  them,  though  they 
may  not  have  built  them. 

The  similarity  between  the  symbolism  of  the  Ohio  Mound- 
builders  and  that  of  the  stone  grave  people  will  be  seen  from  an 
examination  of  the  cuts.  See  Plate  IV.  These  cuts  repre- 
sent the  shell  gorgets  found  in  these  graves,  as  well  as  in  the 
southern  and  southeastern  mounds.  In  the  gorgets  the  serpents 
are  coiled  and  the  concentric  circles  have  symbols  of  the  sun  and 
moon  and  stars  between  them,  as  the  squares  have  birds'  heads 
at  their  sides  and  loops  at  their  corners,  but  the  figures  are  the 
same  and  the  significance  similar  to  those  contained  in  the  cir- 
cles, squares  and  serpent  effigies  of  Ohio. 

Let  us  now  draw  the  comparison  between  these  works  and 
those  found  in  the  Southern  States.  The  Mound-builders  of  the 
South  were  evidently  sun  worshipers,  but  they  embodied  their 
« system  in  an  entirely  different  series  of  works,  the  pyramids  being 
the  chief  structure  of  that  region.  There  are  contrasts  and  resem- 
blances— contrasts  in  the  works,  resemblances  in  the  relics.  We 
have  opportunity  of  studying  this  contrast  in  this  locality.  The 
pyramid  builders  reached  as  far  north  as  the  Ohio  River  and 


264 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


Vincennes  on  the  Wabash,  and  we  find  that  while  they  were  sun 
worshipers,  there  was  another  class  of  sun  worshipers  alongside 
of  them,  who  adopted  the  circle  as  their  symbol,  and  built  their 
structures  in  this  form.     Here  we  call  attention  to  the  large  group 
of  mounds  which  surrounds  the  city  of  Vincennes.     Dr.  Patton 
says  of  these:     "The  beautiful  valley  in  which  Vincennes  now 
stands  was  doubtless  the  site  of  a  great  city  occupied  by  the 
Mound-builders.     There  is  a  line  of  elevation  surrounding  this 
valley  on  the  north, 
south  and  east,  and 
from  the'great  num- 
ber of  mounds  in 
the  locality,  and  the 
large  size  of  some 
of  them,   and    the 
relics  found  we  may 
suppose    that    the 
region  was  densely 
populated  by  an  an- 
cient people  whose 
history  is  veiled  in 
obscurity."     He 
speaks  of  the  prob- 
ability of  some  of 
the  large   mounds 
having  been    used 
for  sacrificial  or  cre- 
mation     purposes. 
The    mounds    are 
called    mounds    of 
habitation,  lookout 
mounds,    temple 
mounds  and  terrace 
mounds.    The  pyr- 
amid mound,   one 
mile  to  the  south 
of    Vincennes,     is 
surrounded    by    a 
cluster     of     small 


lit    UUtS     eiLOW    DAYTON. 

iiBiiiho»iiity  covftrr  two* 
JaM.M'^utt  Survty*r. 


Fig.  10.— Works  at  Alexander sville. 


mounds,  is  350x150  feet  at  the  base,  and  47  feet  high.  The 
sugar-loaf  mound,  just  east  of  the  city,  is  216x180  feet,  and  70 
feet  high.  The  mound  one  mile  northeast  of  Vincennes  has  a 
diameter  of  366x282  feet,  and  rises  to  an  elevation  of  6y  feet 
above  the  plain.  The  top  is  level,  with  an  area  of  10x50  feet. 
A  winding  roadway  from  the  east  furnished  the  votaries  an  easy 
access  to  the  summit. 

We  may  suppose  that  Vincennes  marks  the  eastern  extremity 
of  this  confederacy,  of  which  the  great  Cahokia  mound  was  the 


PLATE  III.-TEMPLE  PLATFOHM  AT  CEDAR  BANK. 


PLATE    IV, 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


265 


center,  while  the  werks  on  the  White  River  marked  the  western 
extremity  oi  the  Ohio  district,  the  two  classes  being  brought 
into  close  proximity.  We  may  notice  the  contrast  between  them. 
It  may  be  that  the  Mound-builders  of  the  Wabash  River  and  of 
the  Miami  River  migrated  south  at  the  incursion  of  the  savage 
Indians  and  became  the  pyramid-builders  of  the  Gulf  States,  one 
class  erecting  the  pyramids  on  the  Mississippi  and  the  other  those 
on  the  Atlantic  coast.  In  that  case,  we  shall  be  studying  the 
relics  of  the  same  people  when  we  take  up  the  shell  gorgets  and 
the  tablets  of  the  South. 

Passing  out  from  this  region  on  the  Wabash  River,  where  there 
are  so  many  pyramids,  we  come  to  the  region  where  the  circles 
are  so  numerous.  We  first  find  some  of  these  on  the  White 
River,  some  of  which  have  already  been  described.  They  be- 
come more  numerous  as  we  reach  the  Big  Miami,  the  works  at 
Alexandersville  and  at  Worthington  (see  Figs,  i6  and  17)  being 
notable  specimens.  The  works  at  Worthington  are  very  inter- 
esting. There  is  here  a  square  enclosure  whose  diameters  are 
630x550  feet.  It  is  orientated.  At  one  corner  of  this  is  the 
small  circle,  120  feet  in  diameter,  whose  gateway  is  in  line  with 
that  of  the  square.  On  the  wall  is  the  truncated  cone,  20  feet  in 
height  and  190  feet  in  diameter.  Opposite  the  circle,  on  the 
bank  of  the  stream,  is  the  small  circle  with  three  openings.  This 
circle  has  a  ditch  inside,  and  seems  to  combine  the  circle,  the 
square  and  triangle 
in  one.  The  author 
discovered  at  one 
time  a  group  simi- 
lar to  this,  at  Fred- 
ericksburg, twenty 
miles  north  of  New- 
ark. Here  were  the 
triangle,  the  square 
and  the  circle  all 
combined  in  one. 
Near  by  was  an- 
other enclosure, 
which  was  even 
more  striking  in  its 
shape.  It  was  sit- 
uated on  the  bank  of  a  beautiful  stream  and  was  in  the  midst  of 
a  fine  forest  of  maples.  The  wall  was  in  the  shape  of  an  ellipse 
with  scalloped  sides  and  ends,  the  curves  being  very  grace- 
ful. Within  the  walls  was  the  ditch,  which  had  varying  widths. 
The  platform  within  the  ditch  was  rectangular.  From  the  center 
of  the  platform  a  symmetrical  oval  mound  rose  to  the  height  of 
fifteen  feet.  This  was  leveled  at  the  top,  but  its  base  just  fitted 
the  platform,  the  ends  and  sides  extending  to  the  ditch.     No  one 


AifSHEHT    wnsmiKa, 


•OKTHtKCTON  .FDaMKUN  C*.     |l.klO. 
'  Chat  ffhtitUsty  Sut'r^fm^. 


^j^'iS. 


900  a  to  Ik*  b«h 


Fig,  17,— Works  at  Worthington^  Ohio. 


266 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS, 


who  had  seen  this  group  could  deny  the  taste  and  skill  of  the 
Mound-builders,  or  doubt  that  some  of  their  works  were  erected 
for  ornament  and  for  the  embodiment  of  a  religious  symbolism. 
We  come  next  to  the  works  on  the  Little  Miami.  These  have 
recently  been  explored  under  the  auspices  of  the  Peabody  Mu- 
seum. Prof.  Putnam  says:  "In  this  region  are  some  of  the 
most  extensive  ancient  works  of  Ohio,  such  as  Fort  Ancient, 
with  its  walls  of  earth  from  twelve  to  twenty  feet  high,  enclosing 
over  a  hundred  acres;  Fort  Hill,  with  its  surrounding  walls  of 
stone,  enclosing  about  forty  acres;  the  great  serpent  effigy,  more 
than  a  thousand  feet  in  length,  the  interesting  works  at  High 
Bank,  at  Cedar  Bank  and  at  Hopeton,  with  their  squares  and 
circles,  besides  hundreds  of  mounds  measuring  from  a  foot  or 
two  in  height  to  others  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  height.  Here  we  have 
found  elaborately  constructed  works  of  a  religious  character. 
Here,  too,  as  offerings  during  some  religious  ceremony,  we  have 
found  the  most  remarkable  objects  that  have  yet  been  taken 


Fig.  IS.— Spool  Ornaments  and  Cross  from  Stone  Graves.* 

from  ancient  works  in  the  United  States — small  carved  terra 
cotta"figurines,"  representing  men  and  women;  ornaments  made  of 
native  gold,  silver,  copper  and  meteoric  iron;  dishes  elaborately 
carved  in  stone;  ornaments  made  of  stone,  shell,  mica,  and  the 
teeth  and  bones  of  animals;  thousands  of  pearls  perforated  for 
ornaments;  knives  of  obsidian;  all  showing  that  the  intercourse 
of  the  people  of  that  time  extended  from  the  copper  and  silver 
region  of  Lake  Superior  on  the  north  to  the  home  of  the  marine 
shells  in  the  Gulf  of  Mexico  on  the  south;  to  the  mica  mines 
of  North  Carolina  on  the  east  and  the  obsidian  deposits  of  the 
Rocky  Mountains  on  the  west." 

The  beautiful  location  of  this  group  of  earth-works  indicates 
that  in  this  locality  there  must  have  been  a  great  population,  the 
relics  containing  evidence  of  the  wealth  of  the  builders,  as  well  as 
the  religious  character  of  the  works  themselves.  Near  this 
group  of  works  the  explorers  found  in  the  burying  place  of  the 
sun  worshipers  a  number  of  graves  containing  skeletons  attended 


*We  would  here  acknowledge  our  obligation  to  General  G.  P.  Thruston,  who  has 
kindly  loaned  us  the  cuts  which  he  has  used  in  illustrating  his  excellent  work  on 
'The  Antiquities  of  Tennessee." 


[THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


267 


by  a  large  sea  shell  made  into  a  drinking  cup  and  a  number  of 
shell  beads,  and  enclosed  in  the  bones  of  each  hand  a  spool- 
shaped  ornament  made  of  copper,  a  copper  pin,  a  wooden  bead 
covered  with  thin  copper,  several  long,  sharp-edged,  flint  knives 
of  the  same  shape  and  character  as  obsidian  flakes  from  Mexico. 
Of  the  ear  ornaments,  Prof  Putnam  says:  "I  have  never  found 
them  in  any  of  the  several  thousand  stone  graves  of  the  Cum- 
berland Valley  which  I  have  explored,  nor  have  we  found  traces 
of  them  among  the  hundreds  of  graves  associated  with  the  sin- 
gular ash-pits  in  the  cemeteries  which  we  have  explored  in  the 
Little  Miami  Valley,  nor  with  the  skeletons  buried  in  the  stone 
mounds  of  Ohio.  They  seem  to 
be  particularly  associated  with 
a  people  with  whom  cremation 
of  the  dead,  while  a  rite,  was  not 
general,  and  who  built  the  great 
earth-works  of  the  Ohio  Valley. 
I  can  further  say  that  in  all  re- 
cent Indian  graves  I  have  opened 
this  peculiar  kind  of  ornament 
has  not  been  found;  we  have 
certainly  found  them  in  such  con- 
ditions in  Ohio  that  they  must 
have  been  buried  with  their  own- 
ers long  before  the  times  of  Co- 
lumbus." One  peculiarity  of  the 
altars  is  that  they  seem  to  have 
been  emptied  and  used  over  and 
over  again,  but  the  bones  and 
ashes  were  removed  and  buried 
bv  themselves.     In  reference  to  ^       .  ,T    . 

/     ,         , . ,       T^      /•    T-k    i  Fig- 19.— Pipe  from  Elowah  Mound, 

the  locality  Prof  Putnam   says  : 

"  The  more  we  examine  these  works  the  more  interesting  and 
instructive  they  become ;  we  have  already  spread  before  us  the 
outlines  of  a  grand  picture  of  the  singular  ceremonies  connected 
with  the  religion  and  mortuary  customs  of  a  strange  people." 

Spool  ornaments  have  since  been  found  among  the  stone  graves 
and  described  by  Gen.  Thruston.  Fig.  i8.  The  cross  was  found 
in  the  Big  Harpeth  works  in  Tennessee.  One  of  the  spools — 
No.  2 — was  found  in  a  large  mound,  embedded  in  ashes,  south 
of  Nashville.  This  had  a  thread  of  vegetable  fibre  about  the 
central  shaft.  The  other — No.  3 — was  found  in  a  mound  in 
the  Savannah  works.  The  little  copper  awl,  with  horn  handle, 
was  found  on  Rhea's  Island,  Tennessee.  Gen.  Thruston  says  in 
reference  to  these  spools  that  their  similarity  to  those  of  Ohio 
illustrates  the  intercourse  which  prevailed  during  prehistoric 
times.  We  call  attention  to  the  idol  pipes;  the  one  represented 
in  the  cut  (Fig.  19)  was  taken  from  the  great  Etowah  mound  in 


268  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

Georgia,  ploughed  up  near  the  base  of  the  pentagonal  pyramid. 
It  may  have  been  used  by  one  of  the  ancient  caciques  in  blowing 
or  puffing  tobacco  smoke  to  the  sun  at  his  rising,  as  was  their 
habit.  It  shows  the  prevalence  of  sun  worship  during  prehistoric 
times.  The  Mound-builders  of  this  section  had  many  idol  or 
image  pipes.  Some  of  these  pipes  represented  females  holding 
pottery  vessels,  others  males  holding  pipes;  the  sex  being  dis- 
cernible in  the  faces  and  by  the  utensils  used;  the  faces  always 
directed  towards  the  sun. 

What  is  peculiar  about  the  works  in  Ohio  is  that  the  very 
mounds  where  so  many  relics  were  discovered  and  where  offer- 
ings had  evidently  been  made  were  in  circular  enclosures  which 
were  sacred  to  the  sun.  The  dimensions  of  the  enclos- 
ures are  as  follows:  That  upon  the  hill  was  a  perfect  circle,  550 
feet  in  diameter ;  contained  a  large  mound,  in  which  was  a  stone 
wall,  four  feet  high,  surrounding  an  altar  of  burned  clay,  from 
which  objects  of  shell,  stone,  copper  were  taken.  A  graded  way 
from  the  top  of  the  hill  to  the  level  land  below  connects  the  cir- 
cle above  with  an  oval  enclosure,  whose  greatest  diameter  is  1500 
feet.  Near  this  oval  is  an  earth  circle,  300  feet  in  diameter,  and 
in  the  circle  a  small  mound.  At  the  foot  of  the  graded  way  is 
another  small  circle,  enclosing  a  burial  mound  and  a  group  of 
altar  mounds,  around  each  of  which  is  a  circular  wall.  Here, 
then,  we  have  the  same  symbol  as  at  Portsmouth — a  conical 
mound  inside  of  a  circular  enclosure,  and  what  is  more  the 
mound  has  proved,  after  excavation,  to  contain  an  altar  and 
relics  upon  the  altar,  thus  confirming  the  thought  that  this  was 
a  symbol  of  the  sun. 

The  works  at  Cedar  Banks  suggest  the  same  combination. 
This  work  is  situated  upon  a  table-land.  It  consists  of  a  square 
enclosure,  1400  feet  wide,  1050  feet  in  length,  with  tA\o  gateways 
60  feet  wide,  and  an  elevated  platform  250  feet  long,  150  feet 
broad  and  4  feet  high,  which  is  ascended  from  the  ends  by  graded 
ways  30  feet  broad,  and  in  all  respects  resemble  the  truncated 
pyramids  at  Marietta.  About  300  feet  distant  from  the  enclos- 
ure are  the  singular  parallel  walls,  connected  at  the  ends,  870  feet 
long  and  70  feet  apart.  About  one  third  of  a  mile  south  is  a 
truncated  pyramid,  120  feet  square  at  the  base,  9  feet  in  height, 
and  a  small  circle,  250  feet  in  diameter,  with  an  entrance  from 
the  south  30  feet  wide.  The  sides  of  the  pyramids  correspond 
to  the  cardinal  points.  The  circle  has  a  ditch  interior  to  the 
embankment.  It  has  also  a  semi-circular  embankment  interior 
to  the  ditch,  opposite  the  entrance.  The  group  is  so  disposed  as 
to  command  a  fine  view  of  the  river  terraces  below  it.  The  head 
land  seems  to  have  been  artificially  smoothed  and  rounded.  See 
Plate  III. 

It  is  difficult  to  determine  the  design  of  these  works.  The 
most  plausible  theory  is  that  the  truncated  pyramid  within  the 


THE  WATER  CULT  AND  THE  SOLAR  CULT. 


2<9 


square  enclosure  was  the  site  of  a  temple  or  depository  for  the 
dead;  that  the  small  circle  and  small  pyramid  were  covered  with 
religious  houses  resembling  rotundas ;  that  the  parallel  lines 
were  devoted  to  the  trial  of  prisoners  or  captives,  and  that  the 
whole  group  was  used  for  religious  purposes. 

We  pass  from  this  region  to  Circleville  (see  Fig.  20),  at  the 
head  of  the  Scioto  River.  Here  was  formerly  a  group  of  mounds 
which  were  the  first  ever  explored.  The  exploration  called  at- 
tention to  the  ancient  works  of  the  State.  Here  were  a  large 
circle  and  square.  Within  the  circle  the  conical  mound,  sur- 
rounding the  mound  a  crescent-shaped  fire-bed  or  pavement, 
composed   of  pebbles  extending  six   rods  from  the  base  of  the 


Ar?i;3ENT     ,S7©SKS 


CTrHCl.JRVU.JUE;  OHIO, 


O  :' 


■a.-^.  -j-u,^.-Mu  i-A-A 


^ 


Staff      ^     if<W 


Fig.  20.— Circle  and  Crescent  at  Circleville. 

mound.  Over  the  pavement  was  a  raised  way,  which  led  from 
the  area  ot  the  enclosure  to  the  summit  of  the  mound,  the  in- 
clined passage  or  bridge  making  the  ascent  easy.  The  crescent 
pavement  attracted  attention  and  was  a  very  interesting  feature 
of  the  work.  It  may  be  that  fire  was  kept  burning  in  this  pave- 
ment and  that  the  passage  to  the  summit  of  the  mound  was 
through  the  fire.  Atwater  says  that  the  pavement  was  east  of 
the  central  mounds  and  extended  six  rods  from  it.  The  mound 
was  10  feet  high,  several  rods  in  diameter  at  the  base;  26  feet  in 
diameter  at  the  summit.  The  circle  was  surrounded  by  two 
walls,  with  a  ditch  between, — the  height  being  20  feet  from  the 
bottom  of  the  ditch.  They  were  picketed.  The  walls  of  the 
square  were  10  feet  high,  and  had  eight  gateways  with  watch 
towers  or  mounds,  4  feet  high,  inside  the  gateways. 


270  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

Two  human  skeletons  were  found  lying  on  the  original  surface 
of  the  earth,  with  charcoal  and  wood  ashes,  several  bricks,  well 
burned,  a  quantity  of  spear  heads,  a  knife  of  elk's  horn,  a  large 
mirror,  made  of  mica,  three  feet  in  length,  one  and  one  half  feet 
in  breadth,  one  half  inch  in  thickness.  The  skeleton  had  been 
burned  in  a  hot  fire,  which  had  almost  consumed  the  bones. 
The  tumulus  outside  of  the  circle  contained  many  skeletons  that 
were  laid  horizontally  with  their  heads  toward  the  center,  feet 
out.  Beside  the  skeletons  were  some  stone  axes,  knives  and 
perforated  tablets.  The  fosse  near  the  mound,  which  contained 
skeletons,  was  semicircular  in  shape. 

Here,  then,  we  have  the  symbolism  of  the  fire  cult,  of  the 
moon  cult,  and  the  solar  cult,  and  -we  imagine  the  ceremonies 
observed  were  symbolic.  It  was  the  custom  of  the  East  to  make 
the  victims  pass  through  the  fire.  It  is  possible  that  the  same 
was  practiced  here,  and  that  human  sacrifice  was  offered  on  this 
mound.  The  crescent  pavement  is  to  be  noticed,  for  there  were 
others  resembling  it.  Mr.  S.  H.  Brinkley  speaks  of  a  pavement 
surrounding  a  large  mound,  near  the  Big^  Twin  Fort.  This 
pavement  was  to  the  east  of  the  mound  and  was  crescent 
shaped;  it  was  ninety  feet  in  width,  and  extended  under  the  foot 
of  the  mound.  To  the  west  of  the  mound,  on  the  edge  of  the 
bluff,  and  below  the  bluff,  was  an  immense  heap  of  ashes,  ten 
feet  deep.  The  mound  was  elliptical  in  form  and  was  perched 
upon  the  brow  of  the  bluff  in  a  sightly  place,  Mr.  Brinkley 
thinks  the  ashes  were  the  result  of  cremated  remains ;  and  he  is 
a  very  careful  observer.  From  the  quantity  of  ashes,  we  judge 
that  the  fire  must  have  been  long  continued.  Here,  then,  we 
have  again  a  crescent  shaped  pavement  associated  with  fire  and 
ashes.  The  significance  of  these  different  works  will  be  under- 
stood if  we  compare  the  rites  and  the  ceremonies  of  the  sun 
worshippers  of  this  district  with  those  which  prevailed  in  Syria 
and  Phoenicia,  in  Old  Testament  times.  The  pavement  of  the 
crescent  suggests  the  idea  that  the  victims  passed  through  the 
fire.  The  ashes  within  the  mound  suggest  human  sacrifices.  The 
position  of  the  bodies  indicates  that  they  were  sacrifices  to  the 
sun.  The  height  of  the  works  suggest  the  thought  that  there 
were  temples  upon  them  which  were  devoted  to  the  sun, 


■'—ruiMatar 


CHAPTER    XIV. 


THE  RELICS  OE  THE  MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY. 

The  study  of  the  relics  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  has  been 
followed  by  various  archaeologists  for  fifty  years  or  more,  with 
such  diligence  that  we  have  now,  a  fairly  reliable  source  of  evi- 
dence as  to  the  actual  condition  of  the  people  who  occupied 
that  valley  during  prehistoric  times.  The  work  of  gathering 
the  relics  has  been  followed  from  different  motives  and  with 
varied  success.  But,  notwithstanding  the  desultory  method, 
the  result  has  been  productive  of  good,  and  all  that  the  student 
has  to  do  now,  is  to  go  to  the  various  museums,  where  private 
collections  are  sure  to  be  gathered  in  course  of  time,  and  there 
study  the  relics  at  his  leisure.  Of  course  the  absence  of  the 
people  who  used  the  relics  will  be  felt,  and  the  want  of  familiar- 
ity with  the  life  which  once  existed,  but  which  has  so  greatly 
changed,  will  be  realized;  still,  to  the  one  who  has  read  history 
and  is  familiar  with  archaeology,  there  is  no  great  difficulty  in 
rehabilitating  the  scene  and  repeopling  the  land  with  a  popu- 
lation which  shall  correspond  to  that  which  has  long  since 
passed  away.  It  is,  however,  not  merely  by  taking  one  locality 
or  one  tribe,  or  even  one  period  of  occupation,  that  the  com- 
plete lesson  is  to  be  learned,  but  rather  by  taking  the  whole 
great  valley  through  which  the  Mississippi  River  and  its 
branches  have  flowed  for  ages,  as  the  field  for  study;  then 
familiarizing  oneself  with  its  physical  features,  its  varied 
scenery,  its  diverse  natural  products,  its  separate  divisions,  and 
its  former  inhabitants,  with  the  various  wild  animals  and  crea- 
tures which  formerly  prevailed,  and  imagme  the  whole  scene 
to  be  filled  with  a  diverse  population,  each  engaged  in  its 
own  activities. 

There  may,  indeed,  come  before  the  mind  various  visions 
which  are  unreal,  and  one  may  imagine  a  succession  of  popu- 
lation which  never  existed.  He  may  picture  out  scenes  and 
events  which  never  occurred,  anc^  yet  when  one  considers  the 
isolation  of  the  continent  in  prehistoric  times  and  especially 
the  isolation  of  this  particular  region  from  all  other  regions  in 
the  continent,  there  is  not  so  much  danger  of  going  astray  as 
some  have  imagined.  One  good  result  has  followed  from  the 
discussion  which  has  gone  on  during  the  last  half  century  con- 
cerning the  difference  between  the  Mound-Builders  and  the 
Indians,  viz.,  by  this  means  all  the  vague  and  visionary  views  of 
the  visits  and  sojourns  of  foreign  people  who  occupied  the 
region  and  mysteriously  disappeared,  have  been  dispelled,  and 
we  are  now  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  taking  the  Indians, 
even  in  their  degenerate  condition,  as  the  sole  survivors  and 


272  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

only  representatives  of  the  people  who  formerly  dwelt  upon 
this  continent,  only  taking  the  liberty  to  designate  their  former 
condition  by  using  the  term  "  Mound-Builders,"  and  their 
present  condition  by  using  the  term  "  Indian." 

We  have  already  made  a  map  of  this  valley  showing  the 
character  of  the  mounds,  and  another  map  which  shows 
the  location  of  the  various  tribes,  and  the  reader  has  undoubt- 
edly noticed  the  correlation  between  the  two  maps.  But  the 
filling  in  of  the  outlines  and  the  peopling  of  the  scene  has 
been  left  altogether  to  the  imagination. 

The  work  now  is  to  study  the  relics  which  have  been  gath- 
ered from  these  different  districts,  and  draw  the  comparison 
between  them,  so  that  the  two  maps  may  be  equally  instructive, 
one  map  serving  as  a  back-ground,  the  other  map  serving  as  a 
composition  or  outline.  But  the  relics  themselves  serve  as  the 
different  parts  of  a  mosaic  which  may  help  to  bring  out  the 
figures  and  make  them  even  more  life-like. 

In  fact  this  work  has  been  accomplished  by  some  of  the 
State  Museums,  and  whole  volumes  have  been  written  upon 
the  relics  and  published  at  the  expense  of  the  State,  so  that  it 
is  an  easy  task  now  to  identify  the  relics  which  belong  to  a 
limited  district,  and  understand  the  peculiar  style  of  art  which 
prevailed  in  that  locality,  and  even  apprehend  the  mode  of 
life  which  was  led  by  the  prehistoric  people  who  lived  there. 
This  is  the  work  which  the  archaeologist  has  before  him.  It  is 
not  merely  the  collecting  of  relics,  either  as  curiosities  or  as 
works  of  art,  but  the  recognition  of  the  life  which  was  led  by 
those  who  wrought  out  and  used  the  relics  that  he  has  set  be- 
fore him. 

It  will  be  the  object  of  this  chapter  to  so  describe  the  relics 
which  have  been  discovered  in  the  various  portions  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley,  that  the  reader  may  discover  the  unity  and 
diversity  which  prevailed  among  the  prehistoric  populations, 
and  gain  a  picture  of  the  condition  of  each  particular  district 
in  prehistoric  times. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  there  is  a  correlation  between  the 
artifacts  of  each  particular  locality  and  the  physical  surround- 
ings, so  close  that  one  may  read  the  various  collections  as  he 
would  read  a  book,  and  learn  through  them  the  employments 
and  modes  of  life  of  the  people  who  dwelt  in  the  locality. 

There  were  in  this  Valley  several  distinct  stocks,  each  of 
which  was  divided  up  into  two  or  three  distinct  tribes;  each 
tribe  was  divided  into  clans,  and  each  clan  having  its  own  vil- 
lages and  clan  habitat,  so  that  the  collecting  of  relics  from 
each  locality  into  some  large  museum  is  equal  to  furnishing 
che  local  documents  by  which  the  history  of  a  people  may  be 
learned.  There  is  often  an  advantage  in  taking  the  descriptions 
which  have  been  written  by  some  intelligent  collector,  then 
placing  them  together  with  others,  and  from  the  whole  series 
learn  the  style  which  prevailed  with  the  particular  tribes,  and 


THE  RELICS  OF  THE  MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY. 


278 


at  the  same  time  recognize  the  difference  between  the  tribes. 
There  is,  however,  a  work  for  the  student  which  is  broader  than 
this.  It  is  to  take  the  literature  which  has  been  written  about 
the  different  tribes,  and  from  this  learn  the  life  which  was 
formerly  led,  and  by  this  means  apprehend  the  significance  of 
each  article  which  may  have  been  preserved,  and  by  readjusting 
the  fragments  really  get  a  new  mosaic  of  the  same  scene. 

Some  may  say  that  the  history  of  the  Indian  tribes  is  not 
important  enough  to  give  so  much  attention  to  it;  the}'  are  a 
doomed  race  and  are  likely  to  disappear.  But  this  is  not  be- 
coming to  any  man  who  is  engaged  in  the  study  of  ethnology, 
and  is  not  worthy  of  notice.  It  is,  however,  not  merely  a 
question  about  the  Indians,  for  there  is  hidden  behind  the 
record  contained  in  the  relics  another  question  in  reference  to 
the  origin  of  the  Mound-Builders  and  the  Indians  and  their 


Effigy  Pipe.  •  Bear  Pipe. 

relation  to  the  tribes  and  races  of  the  Old  World,  and  the 
larger  question  of  the  peopling  of  the  continent  is  brought  be- 
fore us  by  the  solution  of  this  problem.  The  similarity  of  the 
customs  of  all  people  who  have  reached  certain  stages  is  also 
made  apparent,  and  the  whole  subject  of  the  origin  of  art,  the 
origin  of  religion,  the  growth  of  civilization,  are  all  concerned 
in  the  answer  which  we  shall  receive,  from  the  study  of  the 
rude  and  primitive  objects  which  lie  buried  in  the  mounds. 
There  are,  to  be  sure,  many  theories  which  are  liable  to  mislead 
us;  one  of  which  is  the  theory  that  we  find  the  traces  of  a 
preceding  civilization;  another,  which  is  just  the  opposite,  is 
that  we  shall  find  a  development  on  this  continent  entirely 
separate  and  distinct  from  all  others.  The  two  extremes  are 
the  result  of  theories  rather  than  actual  evidence. 

I.     We  begin  with  the  northern   district,  that   which  was 
situated  on  the  St.  Lawrence  ^River,  and  extended  from   the 


274  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

New  England  coaSt  to  Georgian  Bay,  a  region  which  was 
occupied  by  the  great  Iroquois  stock,  a  stock  which  was 
divided  into  several  great  tribes, — the  Hurons,  who  were  situ- 
ated north  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River;  the  Eries,  on  the  south 
shore  of  Lake  Erie;  the  six  tribes  that  formed  the  Iroquois 
confederacy  in  the  State  of  New  York,  including  the  Tus- 
caroras,  who  were  formerly  situated  south  of  the  Potomac. 
East  of  these  were  the  various  Algonquin  tribes,  who  dwelt  in 
the  region  covered  now  b}'  the  New  England  States.  South  of 
them  were  other  Algonquin  tribes,  such  as  the  Delawares, 
Powhattans,  and  the  Shawnees;  and  in  the  same  region  were 
various  tribes  belonging  to  the  great  Dakota  stock.  Now,  it  is 
a  singular  fact  that  the  relics  of  the  Iroquois,  the  Algonquins, 
and  the  Dakotas,  were  scattered  over  adjoining  regions,  yet 
they  were  so  unlike  in  their  form  and  appearance  and  general 
character,  that  it  is  easy  to  distinguish  them  from  one  another, 
and  so  we  have  the  means  by  which  we  may  ascertain  the  mode  of 
life  which  was  followed  by  these  tribes  even  in  prehistoric  times. 

The  Algonquins  of  New  England  never  built  mounds  and, 
therefore,  their  relics  are  left  out  of  the  account,  and  we  are 
shut  into  the  limited  district  covered  by  the  Iroquois  and  their 
congeners.  It  is  to  be  noticed  that  throughout  this  entire 
region  there  was  a  peculiar  form  of  clay  pipe,  which  is  easily 
recognized  as  belonging  to  the  Iroquois  stock,  and  which  we 
are  able  to  identify  wherever  found.  (See  cut.)  No  such  pipes 
were  ever  wrought  by  any  other  stock,  though  stone  pipes 
having  somewhat  the  same  shape  have  been  found  further 
west.  Many  of  these  pipes  are  portraits  and  are  made  to  repre- 
sent the  human  form,  though  it  is  difficult  to  recognize  a  re- 
semblance to  people.  The  pottery  found  in  this  district 
was  of  an  inferior  grade,  and  was  generally  plain  and  coarsely 
wrought.  The  wampum  belts  were  more  numerous  among  this 
people  than  any  other  tribe,  and  were  generally  wrought  with 
great  care  and  were  preserved  as  tribal  possessions. 

Copper  relics  were  not  so  numerous  as  they  were  among 
the  tribes  farther  north  and  west,  for  the  reason  that  the  cop- 
pea  mines  were  at  a  distance  and  were  in  the  territory  belong- 
ing to  hostile  tribes.  Still,  the  discovery  of  copper  relics  at  a 
considerable  depth  on  the  south  shore  of  Lake  Ontario  shows 
that  copper  was  used  by  these  people  in  ancient  times.  Mr. 
W.  M.  Beauchamp  says: 

Besides  one  hundred  and  thirty-five  copper  beads  found  in  a  grave, 
five  miles  north  of  Schenectady,  Mr.  Van  Epps  reported  a  native  copper 
axe  in  the  American  Antiquarian  for  1894,  found  twenty  years  earlier.  Mr. 
J.  W.  Nelson  reported  a  fragment  of  native  copper  with  silver  veins,  and 
a  double-pointed  knife,  four  inches  long.  In  1901  Mr.  L.  Ogden  of  Penn 
Yann,  obtained  a  fine  copper  spear,  si.\  inches  long.  Copptr  articles  were 
fouud  in  opening  a  mound  at  Mt.  Morris,  in  1835.  Among  Canadian  relics 
is  a  Dative  copper  knife,  found  with  two  others  on  Wolf's  Island. 

A  native  copper  celt  with  flanged  socket,  and  a  nati\'e  cop- 
per   knife    from    Plattsburg,    also   native   copper   spears   from 


THE  RELICS  OF  THE   MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY. 


275 


Saratoga  Lake,  copper  celts  from  Seneca  River,  copper  spears 
from  Cayuga  Lake,  anothe'-  from  Oneida  Lake,  two  native  cop- 
per spears  with  flanged  sockets  from  Oswego,  N.  Y.;  a  copper 
knife  from  Venice,  N.  Y.;  a  copper  axe  from  Auburn,  copper 
celts  and  arrows  from  Oxford  and  Pompey,  and  a  large  num- 
ber of  other  relics,  are  depicted  in   Mr.  Beauchamp's  Report. 

Horn  and  bone  implements  are  very  numerous.  They  con- 
sist of  bone  awls,  bone  pins,  bone  knives,  spatulas,  bone  arrows, 
bone  chisels,  punches,  needles,  whistles,  beads,  pendants,  be- 
sides a  large  number  of  bone  and  teeth  ornaments,  such  as 
beads,  bear's  teeth,  bone  carx'ed  as  human  heads,  bone  pipes, 
crescents,  bone  images,  combs,  and  along  with  these,  imple- 
ments used  for  fishing,  such  as  fishhooks,  harpoons  and  spears, 
in  great  variety  of  patterns.  These  also  are  depicted  in  Mr. 
Beauchamp's  report  on  horn  and  bone  implements. 

Occasionally  there  are  found  in  the  Iroquois  district  orna- 
ments made  of  slate,  which  resemble  those  of  Ohio,  but  they 


Maces  and  Badges  from  Ohio. 

were  probably  gained  in  trade,  and  were  not  common  among 
the  Iroquois.  By  far  the  most  common  relics  aie  those  which 
were  used  in  war,  such  as  spears  and  arrows,  'there  are  in  the 
New  Yotk  collections  large  numbers  of  pestles  which  were 
used  in  pounding  the  grain.  Most  of  them  were  straight  in 
shape,  without  a  flange  at  the  end.  Some  of  them  were  three 
feet  long,  and  were  probably  used  in  deep  mortars  made  of 
wood. 

II.  The  second  district  is  very  interesting  because  of  the 
tact  that  the  art  of  the  Stone  Age  was  so  much  more  advanced 
there  than  it  was  elsewhere,  and  especially  because  of  the  fact 
that  so  many  different  tribes  passed  through  the  region,  each 
leaving  traces  of  themselves  in  the  relics  which  have  been  dis- 
covered. This  was  the  home  of  the  Mound-Builders  "  par 
excellence,"  for  the  mounds  are  found  here  in  greater  number 
and  in  greater  variety  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  continent, 
and    in   fact   in   any  part  of   the  world.     What   is   more,  the 


276 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


mounds  contain  a  greater  number  of  relics.  Some  of  them  show 
a  great  proficiency  in  art.  This  district  is  situated  in  Southern 
Ohio,  and  extended  from  the  mouth  of  Grave  Creek  in  West 
Virginia  to  the  mouth  of  the  Miami  River,  but  included  its 
tributaries  and  all  the  region  both  sides  of  the  Ohio  River 
between  those  two  points. 

The  relics  and  remains  are  found  at  different  depths,  and  so 
present  different  "horizons,"  but  they  are  all  so  highly  wrought 
and  so  well  finished  that  it  is  easy  to  distinguish  them  from 
those  which  were  left  by  later  Indian  tribes.  These  horizons 
show  that  there  were  different  tribes  which  dwelt  in  the  region 
during  the  mound-building  period,  each  of  which  was  consider- 
ably advanced  in  their  art.  It  is  difficult  to  decide  what  these 
tribes  were,  but  if  we  take  the  traditions  which  are  still  extant 
among  the  tribes  which  formerly  dwelt  in  the  Mississippi  Val- 
ey,  but  are  now  in    the  Indian  reservations,  we  may  at  least 


Portrait  Pipes  from  Ohio. 

form  conjectures  in  reference  to  them;  especially  as  the 
CherokeesandDakotasbothhaveatradition  that  their  ancestors 
dwelt  in  this  region.  There  is  a  tradition  that  was  long  extant 
among  the  Iroquois,  that  they  at  a  very  early  date  united  with 
the  Delawares  in  carrying  on  a  war  with  people  who  were 
situated  on  this  river  and  dwelt  in  villages  that  were  thoroughly 
fortified,  but  after  long  and  bloody  conflicts  they  were  able  to 
overcome  them  and  drive  them  out  from  their  possessions. 
The  date  of  this  event  is  unknown,  but  it  is  probable  that  it 
was  before  the  time  of  the  formation  of  the  Iroquois  confed- 
eracy, and  perhaps  soon  after  the  Iroquois  had  come  into  pos- 
session of  the  territory  which  they  occupied  at  the  opening  of 
history,  for  they  speak  of  migrating  together  with  the  Dela- 
wares across  a  great  river,  and  first  carrying  on  a  war  with  the 
Snake  people,  and  afterward  with  the  people  who  lived  in  vil- 
lages.    The  interpretation  of  this  story  has  varied  according 


THE  RELICS  OF  THE   MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY. 


277 


to  the  author  who  has  made  a  record  of  it.     Heckwelder,  who 

was  a  missionary  among  the 
Delawares,  represents  the 
great  river,  which  the  two 
tribes  crossed  before  they 
entered  the  Mound-Builder 
territory,  as  the  Mississippi 
River;  while  Dr.  Horatio 
Hale  and  Dr.  D.  G.  Brinton, 
judging  from  the  study  of 
languages  and  the  names, 
as  well  as  the  original  docu- 
ments and  picture  records, 
concludes  that  it  was  the 
St.  Lawrence  rather  than 
the  Mississippi,  and  that  the 
contest  occurred  before  the 
two  tribes  had  become  set- 
tled in  any  permanent  ter- 
ritory. 

The  point  we  shall  make 
in  this  connection  is,  that 
there  were  two  distinct 
tribes  formerly  situated  on 
the  Ohio  River,  as  well  as 
two  tribes  that  crossed  the 
"  Great    River."     One    was 

called  the  Snake  People,  because  of  the  fact  that  the  snake  or  ser- 
pent was  their  great  divinit)' 

and  tribal  totem.   The  other 

was  the  people  who  were  at 

the   time   called    the    Alle- 

ghewis,  and,  according  to  all 

authorities,    were    identical 

with  the   Cherokees.     This 

conjecture  is  confirmed  by 

the  fact  that  there  are  still 

to    be    seen     mounds    and 

earthworks   in   Ohio  which 

are  quite  distinct  from   one 

another,  both   in   character 

and    location.      The    Great 

Serpent  at  Brush  Creek,  in 

Adams    County,   differs   in 

nearly  all  respects  from  the 

earthworks  which  arc  found 

in  the  Scioto  Valley,  giving 

the  idea  that  they  were  built  p^^^^^.^         ^^^^  ^^.^ 

by  two  distmct  peoples. 

The   conjecture   formed    by  the  study  of  the   mounds    is 


Portrait  Pipe  from   Tennessee. 


•278  PREHISTORIC    MONUMENTS. 

that  the  people  whobuilt  the  Serpent  Mound  were  not  contempo- 
raneous with  those  who  built  the  village  enclosures,  but  pre- 
ceded them;  and  the  tradition  represents  the  wars  with  the 
Serpent  Nation  and  the  AUeghewi  as  carried  on  by  a  long 
succession  of  chiefs. 

It  is  also  a  remarkable  fact  that  the  Dakotas  have  a  tradi- 
tion among  them  that  they  once  occupied  the  valley  of  the 
Ohio,  and  lived  in  villages  and  were  tillers  of  the  soil;  but  after 
the  appearance  of  the  buffalo  herds  in  their  midst,  they 
changed  their  mode  of  life  and  became  hunters,  and  followed 
the  herds  until  they  reached  their  later  habitat,  west  of  the 
Mississippi  River  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri  River.  Now, 
the  point  which  we  make  is  this:  the  serpent  effigies  which 
have  been  found  in  the  Dakota  territory  and  on  the  Mississippi 
and  Missouri  Rivers  at  various  points,  so  resemble  that  found 
in  Southern  Ohio  that  they  convey  the  impression  that  the  same 
people  built  the  serpent  effigies  wherever  found.  But  the 
relics  which  have  been  found  in  the  altar  mounds  and  the  earth- 
works which  constituted  the  village  sites  near  those  mounds,  so 
resemble  those  which  are  found  in  the  Kanawha  Valley  and  the 
Cherokee  territory  that  they  have  given  rise  to  the  theory 
that  the  Cherokees  were  actually  the  people  who  built  the  ma- 
jority of  these  earthworks.  The  relics  found  in  the  ash-pits, 
and  the  structures  which  have  been  found  near  them,  so 
resemble  those  found  in  the  Stone  Graves,  that  the  conjecture 
is  forced  upon  us  that  the  Shawnees  were  the  third  tribe  that 
occupied  this  region  before  the  date  of  history. 
■  Now,  the  record  which  is  contained  in  the  earthworks  and 
relics  is  never  so  reliable  as  that  which  comes  from  the  art 
ot  writing;  but  if  the  study  of  relics  or  earthworks  is  of  any 
value  to  science  or  history,  we  ought  to  gain  from  it  informa- 
tion in  reference  to  the  succession  of  tribes  and  the  periods  of 
occupation,  and  separate  them  from  one  another.  We  main- 
tain, however,  that  this  work  of  interpretation  has  been  hind- 
ered more  than  helped,  by  the  various  attempts  to  identify 
the  Mound-Builders  with  the  Indians,  for  the  term  "Indian" 
conveys  the  idea  that  they  were  all  contemporaneous  and  on  a 
common  level;  whereas  the  other  term  "Mound  Builder,"  con- 
veys the  idea  of  great  antiquity  and  suggests  the  thought  that 
there  may  have  been  a  succession  of  tribes  during  the  mound- 
building  period.  The  social  status  ot  the  Indians  is  supposed 
to  be  the  same  among  all  the  tribes,  and  on  this  account  it 
would  be  very  difficult  to  draw  a  distinction  between  them  were 
it  not  for  their  language  and  physical  appearance;  whereas 
there  was  a  great  contrast  among  the  Mound-Builders  in  their 
social  status,  their  art  products,  their  mythological  systems, 
their  religious  symbols  and  ceremonies,  and  all  that  went  to 
make  up  their  inner  and  outer  life. 

We  think  generally  of  the  Indian  as  a  hunter  and  a  savage, 
but  we  think  of  the  Mound-Builder  as  having  some  degree  of 


THE  RELICS  OF  THE   MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY.  270 

civilization,  and  this  impression  is  increased  by  th.e  study  of 
the  relics,  especially  those  in  the  Ohio  Valley.  Relics  have 
here  been  discovered  which  have  so  modern  a  look  that  there 
is  doubt  whether  they  belong  to  the  historic  or  prehistoric 
period,  but  there  are  other  relics  which  have  such  an  air  of 
antiquity  about  them,  that  there  is  no  doubt  whatever  but  that 
they  belonged  to  prehistoric  times;  and,  what  is  more,  there  is 
difference  enough  between  them  to  prove  that  they  belonged 
to  a  succession  of  tribes,  and  not  to  one  tribe  of  Mound- 
Builders.  To  illustrate:  the  relics  which  were  discovered  just 
before  the  Centennial  Exposition  in  Chicago,  and  which  came 
from  the  Hopewell  group  ot  mounds,  have  such  a  modern  look 
about  them  that  their  antiquity  has  been  doubted  by  many,  and 
yet  it  is  difficult  to  identify  them  as  belonging  to  any  known 
tribe,  or  to  absolutely  prove  that  they  were  affected  by  the 
touch  of  the  white  man.  On  the  other  hand,  the  relies  which 
were  discovered  by  Squier  &  Davis  nearly  fifty  years  before, 
have  been  acknowledged  by  all  to  have  belonged  to  the  Mound- 
Builders'  period.  A  few  ha\e  thought  that  even  these,  especi- 
ally the  carved  pipes,  were  too  good  to  belong  to  any  pre- 
historic people. 

These  relics,  however,  have  been  subjected  to  close  scrutiny, 
both  in  this  country  and  in  England,  where  they  are  at  present, 
and  the  uni\ersal  belief  is  that  they  belonged  to  the  Mound- 
Builders,  and  prove  that  the  art  of  the  Mound-Builders  was 
higher  than  that  of  the  ordinary  Indians.  These  relics  are  dis- 
tinguishetl  for  their  highly-polished  and  delicately-carved 
pipes,  some  of  which  have  been  called  monitor  pipes,  from 
their  resemblance  to  the  monitors.  These  carved  pipes  have 
been  discussed  many  times.  Some  have  claimed  that  they 
were  close  imitations  of  the  birds  and  animals  which  were 
peculiar  to  the  region;  but  others  contain  the  figures  of  birds, 
such  as  the  toucans,  which  are  only  found  in  Mexico,  and  of 
aninals,  such  as  the  manitu<=,  which  were  only  found  in  the 
Gulf  States.  At  the  same  time  there  were  obsidian  arrow- 
heads from  the  Rocky  Mountain.s,  mica  sheets  from  North 
Carolina,  copper  from  the  ancient  mines  of  Lake  Superior, 
pearls  from  the  seacoast,  shells  from  various  distant  regions,  as 
well  as  specimens  of  cloth  and  many  other  articles,  all  of 
which  reveal  a  high  stage  of  imitative  art;  but  there  were 
no  patterns  which  could  be  recognized  as  belonging  to  a  his- 
toric country.  The  difference  between  the  relics  e.xhumed  by 
Squier  &  Davis  and  those  discovered  by  Mr.  Moorehead  is 
just  this:  in  the  latter  we  discover  patterns  and  symbols  vvhich 
are  known  to  be  common  in  Europe  and  are  not  uncommon  in 
America. 

The  mica  sheets  seem  to  have  been  cut  into  patterns  by 
sharp  instruments.  The  spool  ornaments  seem  to  have  been 
melted  in  a  mold.  The  copper  axes  were  hammered  mtc  shape 
by  a  process  different  from  that  common  among  the   Indians. 


280 


PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 


The  conventionality  of  the  symbols  and  patterns,  and  the 
size  and  number  of  copper  axes,  and  the  peculiar  form  of  the 
pipes,  throw  a  shade  of  doubt  upon  their  being  of  prehistoric 
origin;  and  yet  they  were  all  discovered  in  the  same  locality, 
and  some  of  them  in  the  same  group  of  mounds  as  those  which 
have  been  pronounced  by  all  as  a  purely  prehistoric  group. 
The  majority  of  these  relics  were  placed  beside  the  forms  of 
Indian  chiefs,  and  seem  to  have  been  buried  as  though  they 
were  their  personal  possessions. 

This  may  be  said  in  favor  of  their  prehistoric  origin:  that 
the  same  kind  of  material  was  used  in  these  relics  which  have 
such  a  modern  look,  as  was  common  in  all  the  buried  relics 
of  the  region — sheets  of  mica,  copper  axes,  copper  spools, 
pearls,  shell  beads,  obsidian  knives  and  arrow-heads,  brown 
hematite — and  many  of  them  were  placed  upon  altars  similar 
to  those  discovered  by  Squier  &  Davis  over  fifty  years  ago. 
The   copper  bands   that  surrounded   the   wrists   of  skeletons, 


Bird  Pipe  from  Ohio. 

resemble  those  which  were  discovered  in  Marietta  in  the  early 
settlement  of  the  place.  The  bear  tusks,  flint  arrow-heads, 
flakes,  panther  teeth,  and  many  other  objects  show  that  the 
people  who  buried  these  modern-looking  relics  were  familiar 
with  the  wild  animals  of  the  forest.  The  details  of  this  dis- 
covery cannot  be  dwelt  upon  here,  but  the  "find"  forces  us  to  the 
conclusion  that,  if  the  bodies  were  those  of  Indian  chiefs,  they 
show  that  the  Indians  who  built  the  mounds  of  this  region  had 
a  wider  acquaintance  with  the  products  which  come  from  dis- 
tant parts  of  the  continent,  than  is  usual  with  the  Indians  of 
the  present  day,  and  there  must  have  been  a  wide  interchange 
of  products,  and  no  such  isolation  and  separation  as  has  been 
common  since  the  early  days  of  history. 

The  cuts  show  the  character  of  the  relics  which  were  pecu- 
liar to  this  district.  In  these  we  see  that  the  form  and  finish  of 
the  pipes  common  here,  was  very  different  from  that  which  pre- 
vailed elsewhere.  We  see  also  that  there  were  various  cere- 
monial objects,  which  were  commonly  worn  on  the  person  and 
had  a  significance  at  the  time  which  is  unknown  to  us.    Among 


THE  RELICS  OF  THE   MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY. 


281 


these  we  might  mention  the  bird  ornaments,  which  are  some- 
times called  brooding  ornaments,  and  are  supposed  to  have 
been  a  symbol  of  maternity  by  the  women;  also  articles  called 
the  butterfly  ornaments,  as  they  have  a  resemblance  to  a  butter- 
fly. These  are  supposed  to  have  been  used  as  maces  or  badges 
by  the  chiefs.  Spool  ornaments  were  not  peculiar  to  this 
region,  for  they  are  common  among  the  Stone  Graves  and 
other  localities.  These,  as  well  as  the  shell  beads  and  the  per- 
forated tablets  and  necklaces  made  out  of  bear  teeth,  were  the 
private  possessions  of  persons  who  were  of  authority  in  the 
tribe  or  clan,  and  were,  consequently,  buried  with  the  body,  on 
the  same  principle  that  the  jewels  and  precious  things  that  were 
found  in  the  treasure  house  at  Mycenae  by  Schliemann,  were 
buried  as  the  personal  possessions  of  the  king. 

It  should  be  said  of  the  Moorehead  find,  that  the  imitation  of 
elk  horns,  made  of  wood  and  covered  with  sheet  copper,  fitted 


Bird  Pipes  from  Ohio. 

to  a  crown  of  copper,  bent  to  fit  the  head;  the  copper  plates, 
which  were  placed  upon  the  breast,  the  stomach  and  the  back; 
the  cloth  of  coarse  texture  in  which  was  interwoven  nine  hun- 
dred beautiful  pearl  beads;  the  copper  spools  and  other  imple- 
ments that  were  placed  by  the  side;  the  pipes  of  granite  and 
the  spear-head  of  agate  near  the  right  shoulder,  and  the  pipe 
of  very  fine  workmanship  and  highly-polisned,  constituted  the 
outfit  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Mound-Builder  tribe,  as  consistantly 
as  did  the  diadems  and  many  other  magnificent  objects  of  gold 
and  silver,  made  the  outfit  of  the  proud  Myc;enian  kings,  and,  if 
we  use  the  adjective  in  describing  the  kings,  we  see  no  reason 
for  not  using  the  adjective  in  describing  the  chiefs. 

This  is  certainly  true.  If  the  carving  of  pipes,  cutting  and 
polishing  stone  ornaments,  sharpening  stone  axes,  perforating 
stone  tubes,  chipping  flint  arrows,  mining,  cutting  and  hammer- 
ing copper  plates,  and  fashioning  copper  knives  and  spools,  of 
molding  and  ornamenting  pottery  vessels,  of  shaping  and 
molding  and  polishing  various  stone  ornaments,  and  especially 


282  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

sculpturing  the  form  and  feathers  of  birds,  can  be  taken  in 
evidence,  we  may  say  that  the  art  of  the  Mound-Builders  of 
this  region  had  reached  a  higher  stage  of  development  than 
was  common  among  the  Indians  of  this  or  any  other  locality, 
and  places  them  on  a  higher  level,  as  far  as  art  is  concerned, 
than  can  be  ascribed  to  many  who  live  in  the  historic  period. 
We  find  no  such  specimens  of  art  among  the  prehistoric 
mounds  of  Europe,  and  our  ideas  of  the  Indian  are  exalted  by 
the  study  of  the  relics  as  well  as  by  the  works. 

•  III.  The  region  which  lies  on  either  side  of  the  Mississippi 
River,  especially  the  northern  half,  is  interesting  because,  of 
the  mounds  which  abound  there,  especially  the  relics  found  in 
them.  It  is  well  known  that  there  is  in  the  Museuni  of  the 
Academy  of  Science  at  Davenport,  a  large  collection,  which 
contains  a  great  many  carved  pipes  resembling  those  found  in 
the  mounds  of  Ohio,  also  copper  axes  which  were  wrapped  in 
a  kind  of  coarse  cloth,  many  shell  beads  and  other  articles,  all 
of  which  were  taken  from  the  mounds  in  the  vicinity.  Dr. 
Cyrus  Thomas  has  founded  his  argument  as  to  the  migration 
route  of  the  Cherokees  on  the  similarity  of  the  pipes  to  those 
found  in  Ohio,  and  seems  to  think  that  the  Cherokees  took  a 
very  circuitous  route;  that  they  crossed  the  "Great  River" 
somewhere  below  Lake  Huron,  moved  westward  until  they 
reached  the  Mississippi  Ri\er,  left  their  relics  there  and  mi- 
grated eastward  to  the  Ohio  River,  and  after  their  long  conflicts 
with  the  Iroquois,  crossed  the  Ohio  River,  passed  up  the 
Kanawha  River,  and  finally  settled  in  the  mountains  of  western 
Tennessee,  where  they  were  visited  by  Dc  Soto  and  his  army. 

At  the  same  time  Dr.  Thomas  holds  the  theorj-  that  the 
Shawnees  left  the  shell  gorget  which  was  found  by  Major 
Powell  near  Peoria,  and  those  found  by  General  Thruston  in 
the  Stone  Graves  in  Nashville,  and  those  found  by  his  own 
assistants  near  the  Etowah  Mound  in  Georgia,  because  of  the 
fact  that  Stone  Graves  are  scattered  over  this  region,  and  be- 
cause these  gorgets  all  have  figures  on  them  resembling  one 
another. 

The  salt  mines  found  in  Illinois  are  quite  likely  to  have  been 
worked  by  the  Shawnees,  for  they  were  situated  in  this  region 
at  one  time,  and  the  name  Chaouanans  on  the  early  maps, 
which  is  applied  to  the  Ohio  River,  was  taken  from  the  name 
Shawnees  and  printed  with  the  French  spelling;  but  the  claim 
that  the  carved  and  inscribed  shells  which  have  been  discovered 
in  these  widely  scattered  regions  belong  to  the  Shawnees, 
seems  to  have  come  from  theory  rather  than  facts.  The 
Shawnees  were  Algonquins,  and  were  a  tribe  of  nomads  and 
never  reached  a  very  high  grade  of  art,  or  adopted  any  such 
mythology  as  may  be  indicated  by  these  figures.  Mr.  F.  H. 
Gushing  has  compared  them  to  the  mythologic  figures  found 
among  the  Pueblos,  and  called  them  "  man  eagles  "  or  "  eagle 
men";  others  have  compared  them  to  the  mythologic  figures 


The  Relics  of  the  Mississippi  valley. 


283 


found  in  Mexico  and  Central  America,  'ihe  only  reason  for 
ascribing  them  to  the  wild  tribes  would  be  the  costumes 
represented,  and  yet  the  warriors  were  dressed  about  the 
same  everywhere. 

The  discovery  of  a  shell  gorget  was  made  near  the  Etowah 
Mound,  containing  an  inscribed  figure,  which  so  resembles 
the    image   of    Buddha,     that 


^P 


,/} 


m 


'M 


I, 

m 


): 


v.^ 


M 


n 


Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  took 
it  as  evidence  of  contact  with 
the  Asiatic  continent,  and 
bases  his  theory  on  the  evi- 
dence. It  is,  however,  unsafe 
to  place  any  theory  on  these 
fugitive  articles,  as  unsafe  as 
it  was  to  take  the  sacrificial 
scene  found  on  the  tablet  at 
Davenport,  to  base  the  theory 
that  the  story  of  the  Deluge 
and  Noah  and  his  family  was 
recorded  in  those  tablets. 

There  is  no  doubt  that  the 
Shawnees  were  at  one  time 
located  on  the  Cumberland 
River,  and  it  may  be  that  they 
borrowed  many  of  the  forms  of 
art  that  the  Muskogee  tribes 
had  for  a  long  time  used,  but  to 
maintain  that  all  of  these  arti- 
facts found  in  the  Stone  Graves 
belong  to  the  Shawnees  is  cer- 
tainly misleading.  The  Shaw- 
nees were  upon  the  east  side  of 
the  river,  as  were  other  Algon 
quin  tribes,  but  the  Dakotas 
were  on  the  west  side.  A 
branch  of  them  the  Winneba- 
goes,  were  on  the  east  side  in 
Wisconsin.  There  are  many 
finely-carved  stone  pipes  in  the  Daxcnport  Museum,  resembling 
those  found  in  the  Ohio  mounds,  but  the  pattern  may  have 
been  borrowed,  or  the  pipes  secured  by  the  Dakotas  before 
the  migration  to  the  west. 

The  discovery,  near  Davenport,  of  a  large  number  of  copper 
axes  wrapped  in  coarse  cloth,  would  identif)'  the  people  with 
the  Dakotas,  or,  at  least,  the  Winnebaoos,  who  also  had  a  great 
many  copper  relics,  but  would  not  quite  account  for  th.e  pecu- 
liar pipes  which  are  associated  with  the  axes.  The  horizons 
presented  by  the  mounds  do  not  indicate  any  great  diversity  of 
population,  and  so  do  not  justily  the  hypothesis  that  the 
Cherokees  left  the  pipes  here.     On  the  other  hand,  the  absence 


'/^<  /-f 


A  rrow- Heads  from    Wisconsin . 


•284 


PREHlSTOkiC  MONUMENTS. 


of  stone  graves  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Cahokia  Mound 
throws  a  cloud  of  doubt  over  the  theory  that  the  Shawnees 
built  that  mound  and  left  the  relics  surrounding  them.  A  more 
plausible  theory  is,  that  we  have  in  this  region  the  meeting 
place  of  three  great  races:  the  Dakota  race  on  the  north  and 
west;  the  Algonquin  race  on  the  east,  mainly  in  Illinois;  the 
Muskogee  race  on  the  south,  though  what  particular  branch  of 
that  race  reached  the  spot  is  difficult  to  say. 

The  Cherokees  *  belonged  to  the  Iroquois  stock,  and  seem 
to  have  left  the  majority  of  their  relics  somewhat  near  the 
Iroquois  territory  in  Southern  Ohio,  and  have  left  their  names 
on  the  waters  of  that  river.  This,  then,  is  the  lesson  which 
we  learn  from  the  study  of  the  relics  and  the  traditions.  The 
Dakotas,  the  Algonquins,  and  an  unknown  race  formerly  in- 
habited the  upper  part  of  the  Mississippi  River,  and  extended 

down  as  far  as  the 
St.  Francis  River, 
and  were  there  up 
to  the  time  of  De 
Soto's  expedition. 
It  is  not  our  ob- 
ject to  prove  any 
theory,  butthefact 
that  the  pyramid 
mounds  so  closely 
resemble  those 
"  found  along  the 
-  Mississippi  River 
and  along  the  Gulf 
States,  would  indi- 
cate that  a  colony 
from  the  great 
Muskogee  stock 
had  built  up  the 
large  cluster  of  pyramid  mounds  which  are  situated  here. 
The  resemblance  of  the  relics  found  near  these  mounds  to 
those  found  at  New  Madrid,  Missouri;  St.  Francis  River,  and 
near  the  pyramid  mounds  scattered  through  the  Gulf  States, 
confirms  the  impression  that  they  were  left  here  by  a  branch  of 
the  Muskogee  stock  rather  than   the   Shawnees. 

We  may   say  that  copper  relics  are   more  numerous  from 
Davenport  northward  than  they  are  below  that  point,  but  pot- 

•  Dr.  Hale  says:  "Following  the  cou.se  of  migration  from  the  Northwest  to  the  Southwest, 
which  leads  us  from  the  Hurons  of  Eastern  Canada  to  the  Tuscarorag  of  North  Carolina,  we 
come  to  the  Cherokees  of  Northern  Alabama  and  of  Georgia.  Recent  investigations  have 
disclosed  to  us  the  tact  that  tribes  belonging  to  the  Uakotas  lived  in  early  times  east  of  the 
Allcghanies,  and  were  found  by  the  first  explorers  not  far  from  the  Atlantic  Coast. 

"The  country  fiom  which  the  Lenapes  migrated  was  the  land  of  the  fir  trees;  not  in  the 
West  but  the  far  North.  There  can  be  no  reasonable  doubt  as  to  the  Alleghewi,  who  gave  their 
nnme'to  tne  Alleghany  River,  being  the  Mound-Builders.  The  evidence  of  language  leads  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  course  of  migration  has  been  from  the  Atlantic  Coast  westward.  The 
Rasques  of  Northern  Spain  have  a  speech  of  the  polysynthetic  character  which  distinguishes 
the  American  languages,  and  has  many  of  the  characteristics  of  the  American  aborigines." 
See  American  Antiquarian,  Vol.  V.,  pp.  ii8-iai. 


^Copper  Axes  from  Davenport. 


SHELL  GORGETS  FROM  TENNESSEE, 


IMPLEMENTS    AND    ORNAMENTS    FROM    TENNESSEE, 


THE  RELICS  OF  THE    MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY.  285 

tery  moulded  into  the  shape  of  animal  figures,  gorgets,  and 
stone  spades  are  more  numerous  near  St.  Louis  than  they  are 
anywhere  north  of  that  point,  though  this  does  not  really 
identify  the  relics  with  any  particular  tribe. 

It  is  to  be  noticed  that  the  relics  partake  of  the  material 
which  is  most  abundant,  at  least  the  best  specimens  in  each 
locality  are  made  out  of  the  material  which  abounds  in  the 
region.  There  are  no  such  copper  axes,  spear  heads,  spuds, 
spears  with  sockets,  needles,  and  chisels,  as  are  those  found 
made  of  copper,  which  are  common  in  Wisconsin  near  the  cop- 
per mines.  There  are  no  such  pottery  vessels  as  the  beauti- 
fully-moulded and  finely-grained  specimens  found  near  the 
Cahokia  Mound.  There  are  no  such  large  burial  caskets,  made 
out  of  clay,  as  are  found  among  the  Stone  Graves  of  the  Cum- 
berland; and  yet  in  all  these  localities  there  is  a  great  variety 
of  relics,  and  many  of  them  show  an  equal  proficiency  in  art, 
though  it  is  expended  on  different  material.  The  same  dis- 
tinction ma}-  be  drawn  in  reference  to  the  mounds  themselves 
and  the  earthworks. 

The  large  number  of  pyramid  mounds  situated  in 
double  lines  across  the  great  American  bottom,  of  which  the 
Cahokia  Mound  is  the  chief,  proves  that  the  people  were  in- 
dustrious and  well  organized.  It  was  necessary  to  build  the 
mounds  large  and  high  to  escape  the  water  during  the  freshets, 
but  the  discovery  of  large  numbers  of  stone  spades  and  hoes 
and  agricultural  implements  prove  that  the  people  cultivated 
the  soil,  notwithstanding  the  malaria  which  prevailed  and  the 
freshets  which  frequently  flooded  the  region. 

The  author  has  discovered  conical  mounds  with  pyramid 
mounds,  and  a  wide  platform  between  them,  which  so  resembled 
those  common  in  the  Gulf  St  ttes  that  they  conveyed  the  idea 
that  here  was  a  "chunky  yard"  similar  to  those  found  in  the  last 
mentioned  locality.  It  seems  very  likely  that  a  branch  or 
colony  of  the  Muskogees  passed  up  the  Mississippi  Ri\er  and 
built  the  Cahokia  Mounds,  but  that  they  returned  to  the  south 
long  before  the  days  of  history.  The  resemblance  of  the  pipes 
and  pottery  and  shell  gorgets  among  the  Stone  Graves  and  those 
found  in  the  Cahokia  Mound,  may  be  owing  to  the  presence  of 
the  same  races  on  the  Cumberland  River.  The  same,  possibly, 
may  explain  the  presence  of  the  copper  plates  in  the  Stone 
Grave  near  the  Etowah  Mound. 

IV.  The  region  which  next  calls  forth  our  attention  is  that 
which  was  situated  on  the  Cumberland  and  Tennessee  Rivers. 
This  is  the  region  where  so  many  stone  graves  have  been  dis- 
covered. 

The  best  authority  on  the  relics  of  the  Stone  Graves  is  Gen. 
G.  P.  Thruston,  whose  work,  "Antiquities  of  Tennessee,"  is  of 
great  value;  illustrations  from  which  have  been  borrowed,  and 
they  show  the  character  of  the  relics  found  here  better  than 
words  can  describe  them.      Ihe  relics  present  a  great  variety 


286 


PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 


of  material  and  form,  but  all  show  considerable  skill  in  con- 
struction. In  fact,  the  relics  found  in  the  Stone  Graves  are  so 
numerous  and  so  varied  that  one  can  easily  reconstruct  the 
social  condition  from  them  and  gain  a  picture  of  the  society 
which  prevailed.  The  study  of  these  relics  is  something  like 
the  study  of  the  relics  and  remains  found  in  the  ruins  of 
Pompeii,  for  it  brings  before  us  a  stage  of  culture  which  was 
unique  and  peculiar  to  the  locality,  and  suggestive  of  a  people 
who  had  acquired  a  certain  rude  skill,  and  had  applied  it  to 
every  department  of  life,  using  the  material  which  was  at 
hand,  but  had  buried  voluntarily  all  the  specimens  of  their 
skill  in  the  graves.  One  is  inclined  to  draw  a  parallel  between 
the  people  who  evidently  dwelt  here  in  prehistoric  times,  and 
the  pioneers  who  afterwards  mhabited  the  region,  for  both 
classes  of  people  seem  to  have  manufactured   their  own  tools 

secured  their 
own  materi- 
als with 
which  to 
make  them- 
selves com- 
fortable and 
carried  on 
their  indus- 
tries without- 
introducing 
a  n  }'  t  h  i  n  g 
from  a  dis- 
tance. 

*  The  intro- 
d  uct  io  n  of 
gunpo  wder, 
the  invention 
of  the  loom, 
and   the    use 

of  the  steel  axe  gave  great  advantage  to  these  pioneers; 
yet  when  we  consider  the  houses  which  were  erected 
within  the  stockade  torts,  which  were  plastered  on  the  inside, 
and  remember  the  scenery  and  resources  of  the  region,  we  may 
well  imagine  that  the  difference  between  savagery  and  civiliza- 
ation  was  not  so  great  as  some  have  imagined.  It  is  not  often 
that  this  comparison  is  drawn,  yet  if  we  take  the  relics  which 
have  been  discovered  among  the  Stone  Graves,  and  compare 
them  to  those  which  were  used  by  the  pioneers,  we  will  find 
that  there  were  many  points  of  resemblance,  for  the  same  kind 
of  tools,  utensils,  implements,  and  weapons  are  apparent  in 
both,  and  we  are  obliged  to  give  the  same  names  to  them,  not- 
withstanding the  fact  that  the  materials  are  so  different. 

Under  the  head  of  tools  we  find  knives,  axes,  chisels,  awls, 
mauls  made  out  of  stone,  which  resemble  those  made  out  of 


Chunky  Stones  frotn   Tennessee. 


THE  RELICS  OF  THE    MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY. 


287 


iron;  we  have  such  weapons  as  daggers,  spears,  dirks,  knives, 
arrows,  resembling  those  made  out  of  steel.  Under  the  head 
of  utensils  we  find  plastering  trowels,  pottery  stamps,  paint 
grinders,  mortars  for  grinding  C(irn,  pestles  for  pounding,  made 
out  of  stone  and  bearing  the  same  shape  as  those  made  out  of 
iron  or  wood.  Under  the  head  of  agricultural  implements  we 
have  scrapers,  hoes,  spades,  made  out  of  stone,  instead  of  iron; 
many  of  the  hoes  have  the  same  shape.  For  domestic  use  we 
find  dishes,  cups,  spoons,  and  many  other  articles  made  out  of 
shell.  We  find  pots,  kettles,  bowls,  basins,  jars,  bottles,  made 
out  of  pottery  ware;  need'es,  awls,  chisels,  instruments  for 
f)olishing,  smoothing  and  cutting,  made  out  of  bone;  textile 
fabrics  and  skins  made  into  various  garments;  planting  sticks, 
rude  looms,  spear  handles,  as  well  as  bows  and  arrows,  made 
out  of  wood.  Besides  these  there  were  many  articles  whose 
use  is  unknown,  but 
they  so  much  resemble 
those  in  common  use  at 
the  present  day,  that  we 
give  to  them  names 
which  are  familiar  and 
common,  such  as  but- 
tons, spools,  pulleys  and 
wheels,  ear  ornaments, 
rings,  amulets,  some  of 
which  are  made  of  cop- 
per. Even  child's  rattles 
and  marbles  have  been 
found,  and  many  other 
toys  in  imitati\e  shapes 
resembling  animals  and 
human  figures.  These 
bring  the  domestic  life 
before    us.     The    social  ^^^^'^^■^  Bowl  from  Tennessee. 

life  is  also  made  apparent  by  the  number  of  pipes  which 
have  been  found,  some  in  what  might  be  called  "trumpet" 
shape;  tubes,  cylinders,  monitor  pipes,  platforms  and  discs; 
others  have  imitative  shapes  resembling  animals,  birds  with 
wings  spread,  as  if  flying;  others  with  their  wings  folded; 
pipes  in  the  shape  of.  ducks  being  very  common.  There  were 
also  stone  pipes  in  the  shape  of  wild  animals,  others  in  the 
shape  of  human  images  with  the  bowl  upon  the  shoulder, 
others  seated  holding  large  jars  in  front  of  them,  others  in 
kneeling  posture  with  bowl  in  the  back. 

The  agricultural  and  mechanical  implements  were  numerous 
and  were  generally  made  out  of  stone.  Some  bear  the  shape 
of  notched  hoes,  axes,  paddles;  others  were  leaf  shaped  ;  others 
with  a  square  blade,  notched  in  the  upper  part;  spades  or 
shovels  similar  to  those  found  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Cahokia  Mound.     There  were  double-barbed  spears,  notched 


288  PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 

swords,  sceptres,  ceremonial  objecis  carefully  flaked,  chipped 
stone  hooks  and  stone  claws,  flint  discs,  and  stone  turtles. 

The  pottery  vessels  show  much  skill  in  moulding  clay  into 
imitative  shapes,  for  we  have  a  great  variety  of  bowls  and  dishes 
in  the  shape  of  ducks,  frogs,  fishes,  toads,  and  birds  of  various 
kinds;  others  presenting  lizards  and  animal  figures  and  paws 
molded  into  shape,  and  raised  upon  the  outer  surface,  or  serv- 
ing as  handles  upon  either  side.  There  are  no  such  finely- 
carved  pipes  as  are  found  in  Southern  Ohio;  no  such  delicate 
work  or  pains  taken  in  imitating  the  feathers  and  forms  of  birds, 
and  yet  the  pottery  vessels  were  wrought  into  human  shapes 
with  such  skill  that  one  may  easily  recognize  the  features  of 
the  people,  and  imagine  a  personal  semblance  that  make  them 
appear  as  portraits.  In  a  few  cases  the  bear  and  the  dog  are 
represented,  even  the  panther  and  other  wild  animals,  with  much 
skill  and  taste. 

The  shell  gorgets  are  the  most  interesting  of  all  the  orna- 
ments found  in  Tennessee.  They  represent  serpents  coiled  up 
so  as  to  make  a  circle,  spiders  with  legs  spread,  the  whole  sur- 
rounded by  four  circles.  Shell  gorgets  with  human  figures  en- 
graved upon  them,  are  very  interesting.  One  such  represents 
two  warriors  armed  with  stone  knives  and  stone  hooks,  who 
seem  to  be  fighting  with  one  another,  but  they  are  clothed  in  a 
symbolic  manner,  as  wings  extend  from  the  face,  claws  from 
the  feet,  and  yet  they  are  clothed  in  such  a  way  as  to  represent 
the  style  in  which  the  warrions  were  arrayed,  as  they  have  belts 
about  the  waist,  two  sets  of  bands  around  the  arms  and  legs, 
the  spool  ornament  in  the  ear,  a  peculiar  badge  or  mace  in  the 
hand,  the  head  decorated  with  a  single  plume.  The  wings  and 
tail  of  the  eagle  are  well  represented.  They  are  called  the 
"Eagle  Men." 

V.  The  relics  of  the  Gulf  States  remain  to  be  described. 
These  were  first  seen  and  described  by  Cabeca  de  Vaca,  and 
the  various  writers  who  accompanied  De  Soto;  next  by 
Bartram,  the  famous  botanist  and  traveller;  afterward  by  Mr. 
C.  C.  Jones  in  his  excellent  book,  "The  Antiquities  of  the 
Southern  Indians";  and  still  later  by  Mr.  Clarence  Moore, 
Mr.  A.  E.  Douglas,  Mr.  F.  H.  Gushing,  Mr.  A.  S.  Gatschet, 
and  others. 

They  may  be  classified  according  to  the  geographical  districts 
in  which  the  various  tribes  were  formerly  situated,  or  accord- 
ing to  material  used,  or  the  earthworks  with  which  they  were 
associated;  but  they  all  present  peculiarities  which  distinguish 
them  from  those  in  the  northern  districts. 

It  may  be  said  that  there  were  at  the  time  of  the  Discovery 
several  different  tribes  situated  in  the  Southern  States, — the 
Seminoles  in  Florida,  the  Creeks  in  Georgia,  the  Chica^aws, 
and  Choctaws  in  Alabama  and  Mississippi,  the  Natches  in 
Louisiana,  and  the  Cherokees  in  eastern  Tennessee;  the  first 
have  been  described  by  Mr.  Clarence  E.  Moore. 


jS^s^^;,:v:v*¥i 


&  ■ 


PORTRAIT    PIPES  AND   foOLS   FROM   THK   STONE   GRAVES   AMD   GULF    STATES. 


rtaCeJXU/. 


/'^"teX/ff 


PIPES    AND    MACES    FROM     THE   GULF    STATES. 


/"uteixmi 


POTTERY  VASES  AND  BOTTLES  FROM  THE  GULF  STATES. 


THE  RELICS  OF  THE    MISSISSH^PI  VALLEY.  289 

It  would  seem  from  Mr.  Moore's  account,  that  the  tribes 
formerly  situated  in  Florida  had  more  and  larger  pottery  ves- 
sels than  any  other,  many  of  them  in  imitative  shapes.  The 
Muskogee  tribes  had  more  idols  and  carved  stone  relics  and 
shell  gorgets;  but  the  tribes  situated  in  both  Eastern  and 
Western  Tennessee  had  more  shell  gorgets  and  copper  plates 
than  any  other.  Some  of  these  copper  plates  have  been  con- 
sidered by  Dr.  Thomas  as  very  modern  and  bearing  the  touch 
of  the  white  man,  and  in  one  found  near  the  P^towah  Mound 
Mr.  Thomas  Wilson  has  recognized  the  image  of  Buddha. 

Copper  relics  are  quite  numerous.  The  natives  that 
De  Soto  met  spoke  of  copper  mines  in  the  mountains  of  Ap- 
palachee,  and  the  whole  army  was  led  into  the  mountain  region 
in  hopes  of  discovering  gold.*"  In  passing  through  the  towns 
between  the  coast  and  the  mountains,  they  found  many  large 
towns  or  villages;  in  one  of  which— Talemeco — was  a  temple 
.with  three  gates,  one  of  which  was  guarded  by  gigantic 
wooden  statues,  variously  armed  with  clubs  and  wooden  vases, 
canoe  paddles,  copper  hatchets,  drawn  bows,  and  long  pikes 
which  were  ornamented  with  rings  of  pearl  and  bands  of  cop- 
per. 

The  relics  which  are  peculiar  to  the  Gulf  States  have  been 
described  by  Mr.  C.  C.  Jones.  The  most  interesting  of  these 
consist  of  pipes,  which  may  be  divided  into  different  classes: 
I.  The  idol  pipes,  which  are  always  associated  with  the  large 
pyramid  mounds,  and  frequently  represent  the  human  figure, 
upon  the  knees  in  an  attitude  of  devotion,  clasping  an  urn- 
shaped  bowl;  head  thrown  back;  forehead  retreating;  eyes  up- 
turned. 2.  The  calumets,  among  which  are  the  bird-shaped 
pipes  made  of  serpentine,  oolite,  feldspar,  gneiss,  mica,  slate  ind 
soapstone.  Some  of  these  are  seven  inches  long,  three  inches 
high,  and  two  inches  wide;  the  walls  of  the  bowl  half  an  inch 
thick.  They  are  generally  found  in  the  mounds  and  in  the 
fields,  and  may  be  regarded  as  the  public  property  of  the  tribe, 
or  the  private  property  of  the  chiefs  and  medicine  men.  The 
stone  pipe  in  the  shape  of  a  panther  is  depicted  by  General 
Thruston  in  his  book.  The  panther  was  the  totem  emblem  of 
the  Creeks  or  Muskogeei;  the  wild  cat  was  the  totem  of  the 
Chicasaws.  The  discovery  of  these  bird  pipes  in  the  Stone 
Graves  is  very  significant.  3.  The  common  pipes  were  made 
of  stone  and  clay,  and  were  generally  used  with  a  reed  stem; 
some  of  them  represent  the  human  face. 

4.  Another  class  of  relics  consists  of  maces  or  double-bladed 
axes.     Mr.  C.  C.  Jones  says: 


NoTB  — Mr.  James  Mooney  has  mado  a  close  study  of  the  route  taken  by  the  Spaniards. 
He  maintains  tliat  after  passing  «p  the  Gulf,  where  they  found  the  forts  amid  the  swamps,  they 
came  to  the  province  of  Cutifachiiiui  and,  accompanied  by  the  queen,  they  marched  toward  the 
niiiuiitains,  where  they  were  met  by  the  Cherokees.  Crossing  tlie  I'lue  Ridge,  they  came  at 
the  and  of  a  month  to  the  town  of  Guaxula,  where  the  people  came  out  to  meet  them  dressed  in 
robes  of  skins,  who  gave  them  thiee  hundred  dogs  for  food.  They  passad  down  the  Chatta- 
hoochee, and  came  to  C^auasauga,  a  frontier  town.  They  marched  southward  toward  the  Gull 
passed  through  Tuscaloosa,  and  finally  reachtd  Mobile.  ' 


290  PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 

These  ceremonial  axes  occur  frequently  in  the  relic  beds  along  the 
banks  of  the  rivers  where  the  natives  congregate  for  fishing.  The  most  of 
them  are  broken,  Their  edges  are  not  sharp.  Fashioned  principally  of  a 
talcose  slate,  they  were  unfit  for  service,  and  must  be  regarded  as  orna- 
mental or  ceremonial  axes.  They  vary  in  size  and  form,  the  most  of  them 
being  less  than  six  inches  in  length  and  vt-ry  light.  Three  of  them  were 
found  'n  a  grave  mound  in  Louisiana,  made  of  quartz;  marvels  of  sym- 
metry, and  polished  to  the  highest  degree;  evidently  intended  for  orna- 
ments or  badges  of  distinction.  One,  made  of  diorite  beautifully  polished, 
is  four  inches  long  and  an  mch  aud  three-eighths  in  diameter  (Fig.  4).  An- 
other, made  of  syenite  (Fig.  5),  measures  four  inches  in  length  and  two  and 
three  quarters  in  width,  weighing  twenty  seven  ounces.  In  another  (Fig.  2), 
the  drill  hole  had  not  been  completed.  Another  (Fig.  3)  is  wing-shaped, 
and  is  made  with  points  around  it,  but  not  brought  to  a  cutting  edge,  made 
of  slate.  Another  is  made  of  close  grained  diorite,  beautifully  polished, 
four  inches  long.  This  was  an  ornamental  or  ceremonial  axe,  intended  for 
display,  and  not  for  use.     (See  Plate.) 

5.  Another  class  of  relics  consists  of  chisels  and  gouges. 
Of  these  Mr.  C.  C.  Jones  says: 

They  are  made  of  green  stones  in  sockets  of  wood,  and  stag's  horns  of 
bone,  similar  to  those  found  in  the  Lake  Dwellings  of  Switzerland.  The 
gouge  differs  from  the  chisel  in  that  it  is  larger  and  stronger,  having  one 
side  scooped  out  and  the  other  rounded.  Bone  gouges  are  made  of  the  leg 
bones  ot  the  deer  and  buffalo.  These  were  obtained  from  mounds,  shell 
heaps  and  relic  beds  gathered  upon  the  sites  of  ancient  villages  and  fishing 
resorts,  or  plowed  up  in  cultivated  fields. 

The  discoidal  stones  are  common  in  the  Gulf  States._  They  are  all  cir- 
cular in  shape,  with  diameters  varying  from  one  to  six  inches.  Many  are 
flat  on  the  sides,  sliajhtly  convex,  hollowed  out  on  both  sides.  The  cavities 
are  circular  and  four  inches  in  diameter.  One  has  four  cavities,  two  on  each 
side,  precisely  similar  and  one  within  the  other:  the  depth  of  the  outer,  five- 
eighths  of  an  inch,  and  the  inner,  three-eighths  of  an  inch;  the  rim  one- 
quarter  of  inch  thick.  The  general  distribution  of  the  stones  shows  that 
the  game  was  in  common  esteem  among  the  various  Georgia  tribes. 

6.  The  pottery  of  the  southern  Indians  is  superior  to  that  manufactured 
by  the  northern  tribes.  In  some  of  the  Southern  States,  kilns  in  which  the 
ancient  pottery  was  baked  are  now  to  be  met  with.  In  the  Etowah  Valley 
kilns  constructed  of  water-worn  stones  have  been  discovered.  One  of  the 
best  specimens  of  burial  urns  (Fig,  i,  PI.  XXVII.),  l^/z  inches  in  height 
and  nine  inches  in  diameter,  contained  the  bones  of  a  young  child.  The  urn 
taken  from  an  earth  mound  near  Sparta  (Fig.  2),  is  14  inches  high,  14 
inches  in  diameter,  and  has  the  pattern  of  wicker  work.  A  numerous  class 
of  flat-bottomed  jars  are  represented  by  Figs.  3  and  4.  Figs.  5,  6,  7  and  8 
represent  pots  with  ears  and  legs;  while  in  Figs,  i  and  2  next  Plate,  we  find 
the  wide-necked  jars;  and  in  Figs.  3,  4,  5,6,  7,  8,  9  and  10  bottles  taken  from 
the  Grave  Mounds. 


SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE  MOUNDS.  293 


CHAPTER  XV. 


SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE  MOUNDS. 

At  the  Springfield  meeting  of  the  American  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Science,  Prof.  Putnam  read  a  paper  upon 
the  Symbolic  'Carvings  of  the  Mound-builders.  The  abstract 
has  been  printed  and  we  take  the  occasion  to  reprint  it.*  He 
controverted  the  theory  advanced  by  some  writers  that  the  an- 
cient earth-works  of  the  Ohio  valley  and  southward  are  of 
comparatively  recent  origin,  and  were  made  by  the  immediate 
ancestors  of  the  Indian  tribes  living  in  that  region  three  centuries 
ago.  The  belief  forced  upon  Prof.  Putnam,  by  continued  archae- 
ological research  in  the  field  for  more  than  a  quarter  ot  a  century, 
as  well  as  by  study  of  the  human  remains  and  works  of  man 
found  in  the  older  earth-works  and  mounds,  is  that  the  people 
who  made  the  great  earth-works  and  the  burial  mounds  asso- 
ciated with  them  were  a  branch  of  the  great  southwestern  people, 
represented  by  the  ancient  Mexicans,  the  builders  of  the  old 
cities  of  Yucatan  and  Central  America,  and  some  of  the  Pueblo 
tribes  of  Utah,  Colorado,  Arizona  and  New  Mexico  and  adjoin- 
ing portions  of  old  Mexico.  He  also  believes  that  the  customs 
and  some  particular  ceremonies  and  phases  of  art  found  among 
the  living  tribes  to  the  northward  and  eastward  of  this  great 
region  were  simply  survivals  by  contact  of  these  tribes  with  the 
shortheaded  peoples  of  the  southwest,  of  which  the  old  earth- 
work builders  of  the  Ohio  valley  were  one  extreme  branch.  In 
this  connection  he  emphasized  the  necessity  of  distinguishing 
between  the  older  of  these  earth-works  and  the  burial  mounds 
and  village  sites  of  the  intrusive  tribes  from  the  northward  and 
eastward. 

I.  The  particular  object  of  this  paper  was  to  illustrate  some  of 
the  peculiarities  of  the  incised  art  of  this  older  people  of  the 
Ohio  valley  and  to  point  out  the  close  resemblance  in  the  motive 
of  the  symbolism  expressed  in  the  carvings  from  this  region 
with  those  of  the  southwest  and  even  Central  America.  At  the 
same  time  attention  was  called  to  certain  remarkable  resemblances 
in  the  technique  of  some  of  the  similar  work  of  the  Haidas  of 
the  northwest  coast  of  America.  The  paper  was  illustrated  by 
a  series  of  diagrammatic  figures,  showing  peculiar  and  in  some 
ways  extraordinary  carvings;  and  another  set  of  drawings  illus- 
trated the  carvings  of  natural  size. 

The   objects   illustrated  and  studied   were  arranged  in  three 

♦Abstract  of  Paper  published  in  Popular  Science  News  for  January,  1896. 


294  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

groups.  First,  the  famous  Cincinnati  tablet,  found  within  a 
mound  in  Cincinnati  in  1841,  over  which  there  has  been  so  much 
controversy  and  so  many  different  theories  as  to  its  meaning. 
Second,  the  objects  which  were  found  in  the  great  group  of 
mounds  surrounded  by  an  earth-work,  known  as  the  Turner  group, 
which  was  most  thoroughly  explored  during  ten  years  of  con- 
tinued work  by  Prof.  Putnam  and  Dr.  Metz  and  several  assist- 
ants of  the  Peabody  Museum  of  Cambridge,  where  these  objects 
are  now  preserved.  Third,  the  remarkable  lot  oi  specimens  from 
the  earth-work  figured  and  described  by  Squier  and  Davis  as  the 
Clark  work,  but  later  known,  from  the  present  owner,  as  the 
Hopewell  group.  These  objects  were  secured  by  Mr,  W.  K, 
Moorehead  while  acting  as  Prof  Putnam's  assistant  in  obtaining 
material  for  the  exhibit  in  the  Department  of  Ethnology  of  the 
World's  Fair,  of  which  department  Prof'  Putnam  was  chief. 
This  collection  is  now  preserved  in  the  Field  Columbian  Mu- 
seum of  Chicago. 

The  first  specimen  to  which  attention  was  called  was  that  of  a 
portion  of  a  human  femur  which  had  been  scraped  and  rubbed  to 
a  high  polish,  and  on  this  rounded  surface  intricate  figures  had 
been  incised.  At  first  it  was  difficult  to  recognize  in  the  appar- 
ent medley  of  lines  any  intelligible  design,  but  after  studying 
the  lines  for  a  while  they  resolve  themselves  into  human  and 
animal  faces,  combined  with  ovals,  circles  and  other  symbolic 
designs.  A  prolonged  study  of  the  carving  shows  that  the  fig- 
ure is  made  up  ot  elaborate  masks- and  combined  headdresses. 
The  discernment  of  these  several  faces  and  headdresses,  repre- 
sented in  the  combination  figure,  is  made  easier  by  a  comparison 
with  several  other  objects  found  in  the  same  mound.  Among 
these  are  numerous  designs  cut  out  of  thin  sheets  of  copper, 
made  by  hammering  nuggets  of  native  copper.  Among  these 
are  the  serpent  and  sun  symbols,  also  shown  in  the  carvings. 
Another  copper  object  represents  the  deer's  antler.  In  the  same 
mound  a  skeleton  was  found  about  which  were  many  ornaments; 
and  still  resting  upon  the  skull  was  a  copper  headdress  made  of 
a  sheet  of  copper  curved  to  cover  the  head  from  the  forehead  to 
the  occiput;  and  from  this  branched  a  pair  of  antlers,  made  of 
wood  and  covered  with  thin  copper.*  Still  another  object  was 
that  of  a  similar  sheet  of  copper  through  which  was  thrust  two 
short,  rounded  pieces  of  wood,  representing  the  antlers  of  the 
deer  just  starting  in  their  growth.  Prof.  Putnam  called  attention 
to  the  fact  that  a  comparison  of  these  two  headdresses  with  the 
figure  carved  upon  the  human  legbone  showed  that  two  of  the 

*One  of  the  bodies  which  was  exhumed  from  this  graded  section  is  illustrated  by  Mr. 
Moorehead  in  his  book  on  Primitive  Man  in  Ohio.  It  is  impossible,  however,  to  tell  from 
tiie  book  or  from  the  article  here  quoted  whether  the  large  number  of  so-called  spool  orna- 
ments and  the  peculiar  black  rings  called  pulleys,  and  the  duck  pipe  which  is  made  out  of  the 
same  material,  came  from  this  mound,  and  if  from  this  mound  it  is  impossible  to  tell 
whether  they  were  connected  with  the  body  of  the  chief  or  with  the  skeleton  of  the  child  or 
young  person.    The  whole  description  given  by  Mr.  Moorehead  is  very  vague  and  indefinite. 


SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE  MOUNDS.  295 

figures  in  this  combination  represented  two  masks  or  human 
faces  surmounted  with  just  such  headdresses — one  with  the  bud- 
ding antlers,  the  other  with  the  full  formed  antlers.  He  then 
showed  that  these  were  not  all  the  faces  shown  in  this  singular 
combination  of  Hnes.  There  was  also  an  animal  head  with  a 
broad  mouth,  closed  eyes  and  drooping  ears ;  while  in  the  center 
of  the  design  was  to  be  seen  the  beak  of  the  Roseate  Spoonbill 
— a  bird  often  represented  in  similar  incised  carvings  from  the 
mounds.  Particular  attention  was  called  to  the  way  in  which  the 
eyes  were  represented  on  the  human  face,  with  the  double  curved 
projecting  lines  which  has  much  to  do  with  many  of  the  sym- 
bolic carvings  which  were  described. 

Prof  Putnam  then  alluded  to  a  similar  carving,  but  with  dif- 
ferent designs,  upon  a  human  arm-bone,  obtained  with  thous- 
ands of  other  objects  from  the  altar  of  the  great  mound  of  the 
Turner  group.  On  this  carving  there  are  several  conventional 
animal  heads  interwoven  and  combined  in  a  curious  manner ; 
and  over  each  head  are  represented  the  symbolic  designs,  circles 
and  ovals,  common  to  nearly  all  the  carvings.  Here  the  lines 
were  cut  with  such  skill  and  ingenuity  that  parts  of  one  head 
form  portions  of  another  above  and  below;  and  on  reversmg  this 
combination  figure  still  other  heads  are  discernible.  The  many 
combinations  here  shown,  he  said,  could  only  have  been  made 
by  carefully  preparing  the  distinct  figures,  and  combining  them 
in  the  way  here  shown,  which  must  have  required  a  vast  amount 
of  ingenuity  as  well  as  mechanical  execution. 

Another  of  these  interesting  carvings  was  from  the  Hopewell 
mound,  and  was  also  upon  the  highly  polished  surface  of  a  por- 
tion of  a  human  femur.  In  this  the  principal  designs  are  the 
conventionalized  serpent  and  the  bear  totem,  represented  by  the 
five  claws;  while  other  designs  are  the  same  in  outline  as  some 
of  the  great  earth  and  stone  works  in  the  Ohio  valley — particu- 
larly the  outline  of  the  so-called  "Stone  Fort"*  in  Ross  county, 
and  the  so-called  "Entrance"t  to  the  earth-work  in  Butler  county, 
figured  by  Squier  and  Davis. 

Prof  Putnam  dwelt  particularly  upon  the  figures  carved  on  the 
stone  known  as  the  Cincinnati  Tablet,  and  he  showed  how  the 
strange  figures  there  delineated  were  both  conventionalized  and 
symbolic,  the  serpent  head  being  one  of  the  symbolic  designs  of 
the  tablet.  This  tablet,  he  said,  has  been  described  by  several 
writers  during  the  last  half  century,  and  has  often  been  con- 
sidered as  a  fraudulent  piece  of  work;  but  of  its  authenticity 
there  can  now  be  no  doubt,  as  the  figures  upon  it  are  partially 
understood,  and  several  of  them  are  of  the  conventional  serpent 
form,  identical  in  form  with  those  found  in  other  mounds  of 
Ohio,  and  also  agree  essentially  with  the  representation  of  the 


*  This  stone  fort  represents  a  double-headed  snake  with  four  tails.    See  my  book  on 
"Myths  and  Symbols,"  ,  p.  63.       tSee  Mound-builders'  Fort,  p.  147. 


296 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


serpent  head  iii  the  sculptures  of  Central  America;  while  the 
singular  duplication  of  the  parts  recalls  a  similar  method  in  the 
carvings  and  paintings  of  the  Haidas  of  the  northwest  coast  of 
America.  He  considers  that  the  combination  of  the  human  and 
serpent  forms  in  this  tablet  makes  it  a  most  interesting  study  in 
this  new  light. 

In  connection  with  a  study  of  this  tablet  attention  was  drawn 
to  a  very  interesting  object  of  copper  found  in  the  Hopewell 
mound.  Many  comparisons  were  made  between  these  two 
objects,  which,  unlike  as  they  seemed  at  first  glance,  were  shown 
to  have  identical  lines  evidently  representing  the  same  symbolic 
figures.     Another  object  shown  was  a  serpent  cut  from  a  piece 


'«mmmii 


Symbols  found  in  the  Copper  Relics  from  ihe  Hopewell , Mound.] 


of  mica,  upon  which  were  incised  lines  representing  the  same 
symbols  found  on  the  carvings  on  bone.  This  was  from  the 
Turner  mound.  In  connection  with  this  representation  of  the 
plumed  serpent,  the  authors  of  the  paper  made  many  compari- 
sons, showing  the  modification  of  the  serpent  in  ancient  art,  from 
Ohio  through  the  Pueblo  regions  to  Mexico  and  Central 
America.  The  peculiar  representation  of  the  eye  of  the  serpent 
is  also  dwelt  upon,  this  eye  becoming  symbolic  of  the  serpent 
itself.  Several  objects  from  the  mounds  are  simply  these  sym- 
bolic serpent  eyes,  and  attention  was  called  to  the  persistence  of 
this  symbol  from  Ohio  to  Central  America. 

The  next  group  of  symbolic  carvings  described  was  that  of 
the  circle  divided  by  the  four  arms,  representing  the  horizon  and 
the  four  quarters  of  the  earth.  Attention  was  called  to  the  wide 
spread  of  this  symbol  over  North  America;  common  to  the 
carvings  of  the  mounds,  it  extends  westward  to  Mexico. 

II.  The  particulars  as  to  the  Hopewell"  Find"  are  very  im- 
portant in  this  connection.      These  have  been   difficult  to  get 


SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE  MOUNDS.  297 

hold  of,  but  we  quote  below  the  account  of  it  which  was  fur- 
nished by  Mr.  Moorehead  while  still  at  work  in  the  field  and 
published  in  the  Illustrated  American.  It  is  the  best  report 
which  has  thus  far  appeared,  though  the  writer  did  not  realize 
the  importance  of  giving  the  exact  spot  where  every  relic  was 
situated. 

"All  of  the  twenty-six  mounds  above  mentioned  were  carefully 
examined.*  Photographs  and  drawings  were  made  of  every 
skeleton  which  was  surrounded  by  ornaments  or  objects,  of 
the  various  colored  strata  in  the  mounds,  the  altars,  and  other 
things  of  interest.  It  is  the  purpose  of  this  paper  to  describe 
only  one  of  the  mounds  explored:  the  large  one  indicated  in  the 
center  of  the  accompanying  plan,  around  which  there  is  a  semi- 
circular embankment. 

"Seven  thousand  two  hundred  and  thirty-two  unfinished  flint 
implements,  averaging  in  size  5x7  inches  and  half  an  inch  in 
thickness,  had  been  deposited  in 
Mound  No.  2,  in  the  lorm  of  a 
layer  20x30  feet  and  one  foot  in 
thickness.  The  Effigy  Mound  is 
500x210  feet,  with  a  height  of  23 
feet,  and  resembles  externally  the 
human  trunk.  On  account  of  its 
great  size  the  expedition  was  com- 
pelled to  open  it  in  seven  sections, 
each  60  feet  in  width  The  greatest 
diameter  of  the  mound  is  east  and  ^2/m6o^. /o«nd  in  the  may  Mounds. 

west.  The  cross  sections  were  run  north  and  south,  and  were, 
therefore,  about  200  feet  in  length,  with  walls  of  earth  at  the 
center  23  feet  high,  which  gradually  sloped  toward  the  ends 
until  they  reached  the  original  surface  beyond. 

"Before  giving  a  description  of  the  finds  in  each  cut,  it  would  be 
well  to  speak  generally  regarding  the  construction  of  the  mound. 
The  builders  first  selected  a  level  strip  of  ground,  cleared  it  of 
underbrush,  weeds  and  grass.  They  then  took  clubs  or  other 
heavy  objects  and  beat  the  earth  until  it  was  hard  and  flat,  and 
filled  all  the  little  depressions  and  hollows.  The  floor  being  thus 
far  prepared,  they  built  large  fires  upon  it  and  kept  them  burn- 
ing for  several  days. 

§  "All  the  skeletons  taken  from  the  mound,  with  the  exception 
of  one  or  two,  lay  upon  this  hard  burnt  floor.  The  mound  was 
erected  in  eight  or  nine  sections  and  considerable  time  elapsed 
between  the  completion  of  one  and  the  beginning  of  another. 
When  a  mound  has  stood  a  number  of  years  it  becomes  covered 
with  underbrush  and  small  trees.  If  the  aborigines  decided  to 
make  further  interments,  instead  of  constructing  a  new  mound, 

*The  location  of  the  different  mounds  within  the  enclosure  can  be  learned  from  the  plate 
whieh  gives  the  general  plan  of  the  shape  of  the  mound  in  the  semi-circular  enclosure. 


298  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

they  frequently  used  the  old  one.  They  placed  the  bodies  upon 
the  surface  of  the  ground  at  the  base  of  the  first  one  and  heaped 
earth  above  until  either  the  first  mound  was  covered  or  a  struc- 
ture was  formed  nearly  equaling  it  in  size.  The  decay  of  under- 
brush and  logs  leaves  a  dark  line  between  the  two  mounds 
conforming  to  the  contour  of  the  first.  This  is  called  the  sod 
line.*  Such  sod  lines  were  apparent  in  the  Effigy  Mounds.  In 
cut  No.  I,  which  was  projected  through  the  eastern  end  of  the 
mound,  nothing  was  found  except  near  the  summit.  Bowlders 
had  been  laid  about  two  feet  below  the  summit  of  the  mound 
extending  down  the  south  slope  of  the  structure  for  a  distance 
of  forty  feet.  They  were  thought  at  the  time  to  represent  the 
figures  of  two  panthers.  The  efifigiesf — if  they  were  intended  to 
represent  efifiges  —  were  very  rude,  and  while  the  tails  were 
clearly  defined  and  one  or  two  legs  apparent,  the  head  and  fore 
legs  had  been  disturbed  by  the  plow  to  such  an  extent  that  it 
was  impossible  to  follow  them.  Bowlder  mosaics  are  occasion- 
ally found  in  mounds,  particularly  in  Iowa,  but  their  occurrence 
in  the  Ohio  valley  is  extremely  rare. 

"In  cut  No.  2.  thirteen  or  fourteen  skeletons  were  exhumed 
from  the  base  line.  The  most  important  of  these  was  recorded 
as  Skeleton  No.  248.  It  lay  with  the  head  to  the  south,  and  was 
five  feet  eleven  inches  in  length,  and  fairly  well  preserved.  No 
skeleton  in  the  mound  indicated  a  person  of  more  importance 
than  No.  248.  Copper  antlers,  22x23  inches,  extended  from  the 
forehead  upward.  The  breast  and  back  were  covered  with  cop- 
per plates,  bear  teeth,  and  other  singular  ornaments.  Strings 
of  beads  lay  about  the  ankles  and  wrists,  while  at  the  feet  were 
traces  of  decayed  sandals.  The  copper  horns  had  been  origin- 
ally fastened  to  a  helmet  of  copper,  covering  the  skull  from  the 
upper  jaw  to  the  base  of  the  occipital.  A  rough  cloth  skirt  ex- 
tended from  the  waist  to  the  knees.  Where  the  copper  plates 
came  in  contact  with  the  fabric  it  was  well  preserved.  Beautiful 
pearl  beads  and  large  bear  and  panther  tusks  were  interlaced  or 
strung  upon  the  front  of  the  garment.  The  other  skeletons  were 
covered  with  shell  beads  and  a  few  copper  plates  and  celts  ac- 
companied them.J  In  cut  No.  3  a  number  of  bodies  were  found 
surrounded  by  large  ocean  sheWs  {Busj'con  and  Pj'ru/a),  plates 
of  mica,  lumps  of  galena,  stone  pipes,  spear-heads,  and  beads. 
In  the  centre  of  the  cut  upon  the  base  line  a  deposit  of  two  hun- 
dred copper  objects  and  implements  was  laid.  The  deposit  cov- 
ered a  space  6x10  feet.     Among   the  objects   found   were    an 


*The  facts  which  Moorehead  brings  out  about  the  gradual  enlargement  of  a  burial 
mound  is  important.  It  only  confirms  what  the  writer  has  often  advanced;  but  it  here 
explains  some  things  which  would  otherwise  be  difficult  to  account  for,  especially  the 
diversity  of  relics  found  in  the  mound. 

t;These  effigies  were  pointed  out  by  gentlemen  from  Washington  who  were  visiting 
the  SDOt. 

*  A  cut  representing  this  skeleton  and  its  novel  helmet  is  given  in  Moorehead's  book 
and  in  the  Illustrated  American,     A  reproduction  of  the  last  can  be  seen  in  the  plate. 


SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE  MOUNDS.  299 

enormous  copper  axe  223^  inches  long  and  weighing  38  pounds, 
and  copper  plates  or  square  sheets  of  copper  used  for  orna- 
mental purposes.  With  the  deposit  were  25.000  pearl  and  shell 
beads.  Accompanying  the  copper  implements  of  the  more 
ordinary  form  were  anklets,  bracelets,  combs,  saucers,  several  fish 
and  suastikas  and  crosses.  The  discovery  of  four  crosses,  which 
are  peculiarly  oriental  in  character,  marks  a  new  epoch  in  Ameri- 
can archaeology.  M.G.de  Mortellet,  the  eminent  French  anthro- 
pologist, refers  in  his  works  very  generally  to  the  same  style 
of  cross  found  by  the  survey,  and  gives  numerous  illustrations 
in  his  works  of  its  occurrence  on  pottery,  sepulchres,  and  monu- 
ments of  Brittany,  Italy  and,  particularly,  India.  The  Suastika 
was  used  as  one  of  the  emblems  of  Buddha  worship  before  the 
Christian  era,  and  may  have  spread  later  into  Phoenicia."  This 
symbol  is  occasionally  found  in  Egypt  and  China,  but,  so  far  as 
the  writer  is  aware,  not  in  Yucatan  or  Mexico.  A  cross  does 
occur  on  the  Palenque  tablet,  but  it  is  not  the  Suastika. 

"The  crosses  and  the  other  objects  were  worked  from  sheet 
copper  which  had  been  beaten  thin  in  a  cold  state  and  not  rolled. 
All  the  copper  was  placed  in  a  layer  several  inches  above  two 
badly  decayed  skeletons.  Many  of  the  bones  of  the  skeletons 
were  badly  decayed,  and  the  few  entire  ones  were  covered  with 
dendritic  deposits.  Twenty-three  feet  below  the  surface,  with 
alternating  layers  of  compact  clay  and  coarse  gravel,  their  decay 
is  unquestionably  due  to  age  and  not  to  the  action  of  atmos- 
pheric agencies.  The  copper  crosses  and  effigies  were  at  first 
thought  to  be  modern;  in  fact,  we  would  not  say  positively  at 
the  present  vvriting  that  they  are  ancient.  But  if  the  field  testi- 
mony is  of  value  (and  the  survey  has  had  such  experience  that 
it  is  hardly  probable  its  members  are  easily  deceived),  it  is  cer- 
tain that  the  objects  evince  a  degree  of  workmanship  beyond  the 
ability  of  the  two  tribes  of  people  that  inhabited  Southern  Ohio 
in  pre-Columbian  times.  This  is  admitted  by  even  those  who 
are  of  the  opinion  that  the  objects  were  made  by  the  early  traders 
and  trappers  who  came  in  contact  with  the  Indians  of  the  Ohio 
Valley  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago.  Probably  not  one  of  the 
traders  ever  heard  of  the  Suastika  cross.  That  the  early  P"rench 
met  the  Ohio  tribes  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Erie,  in  Illinois,  and 
at  Fort  Duquesne  long  before  the  Ordinance  of  1787,  opening 
the  territory  of  the  Northwest  for  settlement,  is  quite  true. 

"That  they  should  have  made  copper  fish,  combs,  anklets,  etc., 
strangely  like  the  Etruscan  and  Phoenician  designs,  and  crosses 
the  duplicate  of  those  used  so  extensively  in  India  is  hardly  pos- 
sible. No  race  of  American  aborigines  were  quicker  to  employ 
the  superior  implemejits  and  more  beautiful  ornaments  of  the 
whites  than  the  Indians  of  the  Ohio  Valley.  Had  they  secured 
these  crosses  from  the  whites  they  would  have  undoubtedly 
buried  glass  beads,  iron  tomahawks,  medals,  and  other  evidences 


300  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

of  European  influence,  with  their  dead.  The  whites  would  not 
have  issued  to  the  Indians  a  singular  and  purely  religious  ori- 
ental emblem  and  have  omitted  to  present  mirrors,  beads,  and 
other  flashy  and  more  acceptable  gifts." 

III.  These  accounts  of  the  relics  found  in  the  Hopewell  group 
and  the  symbolism  contained  in  them  are  very  important.  Fur- 
ther consideration  of  them  will  be  necessary,  however,  before  the 
conclusions  reached  will  be  adopted  by  all,  and  for  the  following 
reasons:  i.  The  relics  are  unlike  those  which  are  generally  found 
in  the  mounds.  Professor  Putnam  takes  the  position  that  the 
symbolism  contained  in  the  relics  of  the  Hopewell  mound  is  the 
same  as  that  in  the  Turner  mounds,  in  the  Cincinnati  Tablet, 
and  the  copper  relics  from  the  Etowah  mound.  Mr.  Moorehead 
says  nothing  about  the  symbolism  of  the  bone  relics  which  he 
discovered;  though  he  describes  the  copper  relics  and  speaks  ot 
the  oriental  character  of  the  suastika  and  some  other  symbols 
which  may  be  recognized,  and  intimates  that  this  is  the  first  time 
that  the  suastika  had  been  seen  among  the  mounds.  This  is  not 
true,  though  it  is  perhaps  the  first  found  north  of  the  Ohio 
River.  Mr.  Moorehead,  however,  admits  that  there  have  been 
many  doubts  as  to  the  prehistoric  character  of  the  copper,  mica 
and  other  relics  which  were  taken  from  this  mound.  This  doubt 
has  been  increased  from  the  examination  of  the  relics  which  are 
now  in  the  Field  Columbian  Museum,  having  been  returned  from 
the  Peabody  Museum,  to  which  they  were  taken. 

2.  The  symbols  on  the  copper  relics  strangely  resemble  the 
symbols  common  in  mediaeval  times  in  Europe,  especially  the 
copper  sheets  which  were  cut  into  the  shape  of  the  old-fashioned 
Maltese  cross  in  combination  with  the  clover  leaf  The  cross  is 
in  the  shape  of  the  letter  X  and  was  common  before  the  Christian 
era,  but  the  clover  leaf  is  modern  European.  (See  cut.)  V/e  say 
nothing  about  the  composition  of  the  relics  in  the  shape  of  pul- 
leys, nor  the  strangely  uniform  stereotyped  shape  of  the  spool 
ornaments,  which  make  them  look  as  if  they  were  stamped;  nor 
of  the  flat  pieces  of  copper  with  turreted  edges,  all  of  which  look 
as  if  they  were  cut  by  a  sharp  knife  or  chisel,  and  all  at  one 
time,  or  the  vast  quantity  of  copper  which  came  out  of  the  mound. 
We  only  ask  the  question:  Why  do  the  symbols  on  the  bone 
implements  appear  so  ancient  and  the  symbols  and  other  art 
forms  on  the  copper  relics  appear  so  manifestly  modern  ? 

3.  The  figure  on  the  Cincinnati  tablet,  v/hich  Prof.  Putnam 
calls  a  feather-headed  serpent,  is  plainly  a  humanized  tree,  with 
the  legs  and  arms  transformed  into  branches  and  leaves,  and 
folded  up  against  the  body  after  the  fashion  common  among  the 
Haidas,  the  eyes  being  hiddt  n  among  the  leaves,  which  take  the 
place  of  the  hair,  the  whole  figure  having  a  human  semblance, 
and  not  the  least  trace  of  the  feather-headed  serpent  can  be  rec- 
ognized.    See  plate. 


SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE  MOUNDS. 


301 


IV,  The  comparison  of  symbols  which  vvere  common  among 
the  mounds  with  those  which  are  common  in  Asiatic  countries 
will  be  of  interest  to  those  who  have  extended  their  studies  far 
enough  to  appreciate  the  subject.  It  has  been  a  disputed  point 
for  many  years,  whether  there  was  any  contact  between  this 
country  and  the  Asiatic  continent,  and  some  have  been  so  posi- 
tive, as  to  be  ready  to  cut  off  debate.  The  time  has  come  for 
a  thorough  consideration  ot  the  subject. 

Candor  obliges  us  to  acknowledge  that  many  things  may  be 
said  upon  both  sides,  for  while  there  are  many  symbols  which 
resemble  those  common  in  the  East;  yet  they  are  so  mingled 
in  this  country  with  imitative  forms,  which  must  have  been 
purely  aboriginal  in  their  origin,  that  it  is  difficult  to  identify 
them. 

Still,  there  are  certain  other  symbols,  which  have  been 
recognized  as  common  on  both  continents,  and  these  we  may 
take  as  evidence  on  the  subject  of  contact. 

We  take  first  the  symbol  of  the  hand  This  is  acknowledged 
to  be  almct  universal  in  its  distribution,  for  it  is  found  in  India, 

i'l  Australia,  and  in  all 
parts  of  America,  and 
is  always  a  very  im- 
pressive figure  wherever 
seen,  as  it  reminds  us  of 
the  red  hand,  which  is 
so  common  in  t"lie  Old 
World.  The  hand  upon  the  rock,  is,  perhaps,  too  common  to 
have  any  particular  significance;  but  where  the  hand  is  placed 
inside  of  a  circle,  especially  inside  of  one  formed  by  a  knotted 
serpent,  the  symbol  becomes  very  suggestive.  One  such  figure 
is  shown  in  the  cut.  This  is  especially  significant,  as  it  con- 
tains the  symbol  of  the  eye  marked  upon  the  palm.  Doubts 
have  been  thrown  upon  its  genuineness,  yet  the  evidence  is  in 
its  favor. 

Mr.  W.  H.  Holmes  ?ays  of  it:  "  I  have  seen  in  the  National 
Museum  a  stone  disk,  on  which  is  a  well  engraved  design,  which 
represented  two  en- 
twined or  knotted  rat- 
tlesnakes. Within  the 
circle,  or  space,  is  a  well- 
drawn  hand,  in  the  palm 
of  which  is  placed  an 
open  eye.  There  is  not 
sufficient  assurance  of 
its  genuineness,  to  allow 
it  undisputed  claim.  It 
is    said    to    have    been 

obtained  from  a  mound  near  Carthage,  Alabama,"  General 
Thruston,  however,  says  that  the  Bimilarity  of  the  open 
hand    to    those    upon    the    vessels    of     pottery     from     Ten- 


Hand  on  Mound-Bidlders   Pottery 


Hand  in  Central  America. 


302 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


nessee  and  Alabama  seems  to  confirm  its  genuineness.  Two 
vessels  of  pottery  decorated  with  the  figure  of  an  open  hand 
have  been  discovered  since  the  publication  of  Mr.  Holmes' 
article. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  open  hand  is  a  common  symbol  on 
the  monuments  of  Central  America,  and  they  are  often  asso- 
ciated with  the  serpent  and 
human  figures.  The  cuts 
illustrate  the  point  and  make 
it  plain  that  there  was  a 
peculiar,  and  yet  mysterious 
significance  to  the  symbol; 
and  this  of  itself  may  account 
for  its  world-wide  distribu- 
tion. The  suastika  is  also  a 
symbol  which  is  world-wide 
in  its  distribution.  This  is 
generally  regarded  as  an 
equivalent  to  the  fire  gen- 
erator, but  the  symbol  has 
many  variations  and  many 
„,  ,,  ^  ,  meanings.  It  varies  from  the 
Hand  and  Serpent  on  Shell  Gorget.  g^amadton,  which  was  com- 
mon in  Cyprus  and  Athens,  and  has  the  same  significance  as 
the  four-rayed  wheels  in  India,  and  the  cru\  ansata  of  the 
Phoenicians.  It  always  implies  revolution,  and,  as  found  among 
the  mounds,  is  supposed  to  symbolize  the  revolution  of  the  sky. 
It  may  be  called  a  solar  cross. 

It  is  interesting  to  verify  the  fact  that  the  same  combina- 
tion of  circles,  squares,  solar  crosses  and  suastikas  are  found 
with  variations  among  the  mounds,  that  are  common  in  Asia, 
as  well  as  Europe.  There  may  have  been  a  spontaneous  agency 
of  the  same  factors  in  this  symbol,  and  the  same  natural  pheno- 
mena may  have  been  symbolized  by  it;  yet  the  distribution  of 
the  symbol  is  so  extensive,  and  the  significance  is  so  similar,  that 
one  is  inclined  to  ascribe  it  to  an  extraneous  origin. 

The  owl  face  is  also  another  symbol,  which  is  almost 
world-wide  in  its  distribution.  The  wii.ged  globe  is  seen  in 
two  particular  localities  in  Central  America,  and  has  become 
familiar  to  archaeologists  from  Mr.  J.  L.  Stephen's  description. 
It  is  uncertain  whether  any  such  symbol  is  to  be  found  among- 
the  mounds,  yet  Mr.  Clarence  Moore  has  described  a  vessel 
found  in  Georgia,  near  Hare  Hammock,  which  contained  a 
peculiar  decoration  resembling  the  winged  globe  or  winged 
circle,  the  wings  having  a  peculiarly  natural  appearance.  He 
has,  however,  described  a  vessel  found  in  the  VValker  Mound 
in  Georgia,  which  had  upon  the  outside  a  number  of  circles^ 
with  plumage  surrounding  them,  which  convey  the  idea  that 
they  were  imitations  of  feathers  of  birds  and  were  purely  in- 
digenous in  their  origin. 


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SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE   MOUNDS.  303 

The  serpent  and  tree  is  another  symbol,  which   has   been 
found  among  the  mounds.     This  is  one  of  the  oldest  and  most 
widely-diffused  emblems  in  the   East.     Sometimes  it  is  found 
as  a  column,  crowned  by  a  palmette,  with  branches  extend- 
ing to  either  side,  with  a  vine  stretching  from  the  end  of  the 
branches   to   the  bottom.     Sometimes  it  is  a 
fire    drill,  and    the    serpent  is   a   rope   which 
turns  it.     Again,  it  is  a  tree  from    which  the 
first  pair  are  plucking  fruit.  In  Central  America 
the  symbol  varies  in  form.   It  sometimes  has  a 
bar  across  the  branches,  making  a  cross;  some- 
times it  is  represented  with  branches  shootmg 
out  on  either  side,  blossoms  at  the  end  of  the 
branches,  with  grotesque  human  figures  cling- 
ing to  the  trunk:  sometimes  the  cornstalk  is 
substituted  for  the  tree,  and  human  faces  are 
seen    as    at    Palenque;    but    the    idea    is    the 
same  wherever  the    symbol    is    seen.     There 
are  two  tablets,  which  come  from  the  mounds; 
oneof  them,  called  the  Gest  Stone, once  owned 
Tree  and  Face.       by  Mr.  Gest  of  Cincinnati.    In  this,  the  symbol 
of  the  tree  is  combined  with  the  serpent;  a  serpent  in  one  view 
being  very  plain;  but  in  another  view,  the  human  face,  the  arms 
bent  inward  toward  the  body,  being  in  the  shape  of  branches, 
and  the  legs  turned  upward,  also  as  branches;  the  roots  of  the 
tree  apparently  served  as  support.     The  detail,  which  is  char- 
acteristic of  the  sacred  tree   in   most  distant  countries,  is  the 
appearance   of  serpents,  which   twine   themselves  around  the 
trunk  or  stem.     The  only  relic  which  contains  any  resemblance 
to  this,  is  the  pipe,  which  is  carved  in  the  shape  of  a  human 
face,  with  branches  of  a  tree  wound  around  the  face;  the  tree 
itself    resembling    the    serpent,   recalling    the   story   of    Man- 
bozho  and  the  serpent. 

The  winged  human  figure  is  also  a  common  symbol  in 
America,  as  well  as  in  the  East.  Everyone  knows  that 
winged  human  images  are  common  in  Babylonia,  and  are  sug- 
gestive of  the  prehistoric  period;  but  there  are  winged  figures 
among  the  mounds  which  are  as  interesting  as  even  these. 
These  remind  us  of  the  Priesthood  of  the  Bow  common  among 
the  Pueblos,  and  described  by  Mr.  F.  II.  Gushing,  though  he 
calls  the  figures  found  on  the  copper  plates  "Eagle  Men,"  or 
"  Man  Eagles,"  and  gives  to  them  a  mythological  significaice. 
The  cut  below  represents  a  winged  figure  found  in  the  Hope- 
well Mound. 

There  were  engraved  on  this  single  bone,  the  head  of  the 
serpent,  with  the  circles  and  cross  inside  of  the  head,  making 
acosmic  symbol;  also  a  human  image,  with  feet  turned  out, 
after  the  manner  of  Central  American  sculpture,  the  head 
crowned  with  deer's  horns;  while  from  the  shoulders  extend 
the  wings  of  a  bird,  the  eyes  being  made  of  dotted  circles,  and 


804 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS, 


the  human  face  hidden  beneath  the  cross  hatching,  which  sym- 
bolized the  serpent's  skin. 

The  coiled  serpent  is  another  symbol  which  is  common 
among  the  mounds.  This  is  significant  of  the  motion  of  the 
sky,  and  resembles  the  suastika  in  that  respect.  There  is  no 
symbol  which  is  more  frequently  seen,  or  more  significant. 
The  serpent  is  divided  into  four  parts  by  rings,  the  head  is 
alvvays  within  the  coil,  and  the  tail  on  the  outside.  It  is  the 
same  symbol  as  that  which  can  be  seen  on  the  calendar  stones 
in  Mexico,  the  chief  difference  between  them  being  that  the 


^/     te©  B  "f^ 


U'ujc^d  Fissure. 


serpent  on  the  calendar  was  divided  into  thirteen  parts  and  has 
a  human  face  issuing  from  the  mouth;  while  m  the  shell  gorgets, 
the  head  of  the  serpent  has  the  shape  of  concentric  circles. 
There  are  codices  in  Central  America  in  which  four  serpents 
are  represented  with  heads  joining  together;  four  serpents 
forming  a  square,  with  a  human  face  in  the  middle.  The 
spines  of  the  serpents  numbering  thirteen  multiplied  by  the 
four  serpents,  making  fifty  two,  exactly  as  four  joints  of  the 
serpent  multiplied  by  the  thirteen  circles  which  are  seen  upon 
some  of  the  gorgets  make  fifty-two  years  in  the  Mexican  cycle. 
The  bird  is  sometimes  used  alone  as  a  symbol  of  rain.  In 
such  cases  it  has   its  wings  spread  and  its  plumes  drooping, 


CKOSSKS,   CIKCLES   AND    SUASTIKAS. 


259 


ittO 


2fil 


VARIOUS    SYMBOLS    IN    SHELL. 


SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE  MOUNDS.  305 

suggesting  the  idea  of  a  cloud  hovering  over  the  earth  and 
dropping  rain  upon  the  soil.  There  is  an  earthwork  in  Ohio, 
which  represents  the  bird  with  drooping  wings.  It  is  con- 
tained within  a  square  enclosure  and  situated  upon  the  summit 
of  a  hill.  Every  opening  to  the  enclosure  is  guarded  by  a 
mound,  showing  that  it  was  a  sacred  place.  It  may  be  that  the 
same  tribe  erected  this  effigy  that  inscribed  the  rain  bird  on 
the  rocks,  namely  the  Dakotas.  The  thunder  bird,  as  seen  on 
the  rocks,  Js  shown  by  the  cut,  the  lightning  serpent  being 
caused  by  the  flash  of  the  bird's  eye.  The  lightning  god  is 
also  seen  in  the  cut.  This  is  a  humanized  tree,  as  well  as  a 
lightning  serpent. 

The  looped  square  with  the  birds'  heads  is  another  symbol. 
This  seems  to  signify  the  four  quarters  of  the  sky,  which  was 
a  common  conception  among  the  aborigines.  The  birds'  heads 
are  always  turned  in  one  direction,  and  seem  to  symbolize  the 
revolving  motion  of  the  sky  and  is  generally  associated  with 


Humanized  Lighttting.  Thunder  Bird. 

the  serpent  gorgets,  the  serpent  symbolizing  the  water,  as 
the  bird  does  the  air.     See  plate. 

The  suastika  is  a  symbol,  which  is  also  common  in  the 
mounds,  may  be  regarded  as  a  cosmic  symbol;  but  it  has  the 
additional  factor  suggesting  the  idea  that  it  symbolized 
motion.  Some  of  the  gorgets  have  the  crescents  without  the 
circles,  showing  that  the  rotary  motion  was  more  important 
than  the  circles  which  synibolized  the  heavenly  bodies.  The 
suastika  was  also  used  to  symbolize  the  same  thing.  The  gor- 
gets, which  have  birds'  heads  projecting  from  a  looped  square, 
have  been  found  in  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  and  other  localities. 

It  also  suggests  the  revolution  of  the  sky  as  well  as  the 
four  quarters  of  the  earth,  and  so  may  be  regarded  as  a  cosmic 
symbol — the  bird  symbolizing  the  sky,  but  the  looped  square 
the  earth,  as  on  the  humanized  figures  the  horns  symbolized 
the  wild  animals  of  the  forest;  the  wings  symbolized  the 
creatures  of  the  air,  and  the  human  form  symbolized  the  posi- 
tion of  m  in  among  all  other  creatures 


306 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


The  cosmic  symbol,  has  also  been  recognized  in  the  copper 
plates  found  in  the  Hopewell  Mounds.  It  resembles  the  cos- 
mic symbol  found  at  Copan  and  in  various  parts  ot  Mexico. 
But  it  is  here  combined  with  the  serpent  symbol,  and  is  con- 
tained in  a  copper  plate,  which  has  the  shape  of  a  serpent's 
head.  On  this  plate  there  are  four  circles,  and  a  cross  con- 
necting the  circles,  with  a  circle  in  the  center.  The  significance 
of  this  symbol,  is  that  the  four  points  of  the  compass  and  the 
four  quarters  of  the  sky  are  brought  together  into  one.  ' 
1^-,  Prof.  Putnam  has  described  this  cosmic  symbol  in  a  pamphlet 
upon^the  symbolism  found  in  the  Hopewell  Mound.  The  bear, 
the^.serpent,  the  human  face,  the  horns  of  the  elk,  wings  of 


Cosmic  Symbol  and  Serpent  Head, 

the  bird,  the  claws  of  the  bear,  the  serpent's  head,  all  are 
strangely  mingled  together  in  the  engraving  which  was  mingled 
with  cross-hatching  on  a  human  femur.  The  great  serpent  en- 
circled the  whole,  very  much  as  the  serpent  encircles  the  earth 
in  the  Norse  mythology.* 

The  phallic  symbol  was  used  by  the  Mound-Builders,  and 
signified  life  and  the  creative  power.  It  is  sometimes  seen 
issuing  from  the  mouth.  The  tablet  found  near  the  Cahokia 
Mound  illustrates  this. 


•A  study  of  the  cuts  will  show  how  the  Mound-Bu  Iders  combined  birds'  wing«,  animal 
horns  and  serpa«t  bodies  with  human  figures,  both  in  their  effigies  ana  their  relics,  and  often 
made  them  symbohc  of  the  lightning,  the  rain,  and  the  operations  of  nature,  using  even  the 
spider  and  the  butterfly  for  the  same  purpose. 


■^.     .. 


^r^' 


l>  \>IFSi 


.?'•'■-..  ---5^    x^     ct    Z     e. 


<     I 


nv... 


►""••Wl.w,./^,^, 


^;<»-;^Vv.^^-«!fV-V^ 


^^^^4-"^^ V  # VV' 


'    SERPENT  SYMBOLS. 


Wife    -77:^ 


INSCRIBFD    SHhLLS    FROM    TMF.    STOnE   GKAVEb. 


SYMBOLIC    CARVINGS  AMONG  THE  MOUNDS.  807 

V.  The  inference  which  we  draw  from  the  study  of  the  sym- 
bolism used  by  the  Mound-Builders,  is  that  there  was  a  gen- 
eral system  which  was  common  throughout  the  continent  of 
North  America,  and  was  shared  by  the  Mound-Building 
tribes,  but  adapted  to  their  circumstances  and  their  precon- 
ceived ideas.  This  symbolism  did  not  supplant  the  religious 
systems  which  prevailed,  but  was  absorbed  by  them  and  con- 
formed to  them,  and  made  to  express  the  religious  thoughts 
which  the  people  had  received  from  their  ancestors.  We  main- 
tain that  there  was  a  great  variety  of  religious  systems  among 
the  Mound-Builders.  Animal  worship,  or  totemism,  prevailed 
among  the  hunter  tribes  of  the  North;  sun  worship  prevailed 
among  the  agricultural  tribes  situated  along  the  Ohio  River;  a 
modified  and  complicated  system  of  nature  worship  pre\'ailed 
among  tribes  which  dwelt  in  the  villages  of  Missouri  or  Kansas 
and  Tennessee;  a  modified  system  of  idolatry,  combined  with 
ancestor  worship,  prevailed  in  the  Gulf  States.  Each  system 
required  different  symbols,  by  means  of  which  it  could  make 
itself  known. 

Our  supposition'js,  however,  that  much  of  this  symbolism  was 
borrowed  from  the  civilized  tribes  of  the  Southwest,  and 
adapted  to  the  systems  which  prevailed  among  the  Mound- 
Builders,  and  was  made  to  express  their  relgious  thoughts  and 
their  inherited  mj-thology,  without  radically  changmg  the 
religious  system  which  prevailed.  This  may  seem  like  a  mere 
conjecture,  yet  the  great  similarity  of  the  symbols  found 
among  the  mounds  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  and  the  ruined 
cities  of  the  Southwest,  proves  the  position.  This  similarity 
has  been  recognized  by  different  authors,  among  whom  we 
might  mention  Mr.  W.  H.  Holmes,  Gen.  Gates  P.  Thruston,  and 
others.  Mr.  F.  H.  Gushing  has  spoken  of  the  similarity  of  the 
symbols  of  the  Zunis  and  the  Moquis  and  those  on  the  copper 
plates  found  in  the  stone  graves  and  near  the  Etowah  Mound. 
Mr.  Holmes  takes  the  carved  shells  and  engraved  disks  and 
gorgets,  and  describes  the  designs  upon  them,  and  compares 
them  with  the  pictographic  manuscripts  of  Mexico,  arranging 
them  in  groups  in  the  following  oider:  the  circle,  the  cross,  the 
looped  square,  the  bird,  the  spider,  the  serpent,  the  human 
face,  and  the  winged  figures,  and  analyzing  the  parts  and  show- 
ing the  resemblance  between  them. 

In  reference  to  tde  cross,  he  says:  "The  design  is  symbolic, 
undoubtedly  used  as  a  symbol  by  the  prehistoric  nations  of 
the  South,  and  was  probably  known  in  the  North.  They  all 
belonged  to  the  American  type.  It  is  frequently  associated 
with  sun  worship  and  has  reference  to  the  points  of  the  com- 
pass."    Mr.  Holmes  also  says: 

It  is  well  known  that  the  barbarous  tribfes  of  Mexico  and  South 
America  had  well-developed  systems  of  sun  worship,  and  that  they  em- 
ployed symbols,  which  retained  a  likeness  \o  the  original.  The  form  of  the 
circles,  or  suns,  carved  upon  the  concave  surfaces  of  the  shells,  is  similar 
to  that  of  the  paintings  on  the  high  rocky  cliffs. 


308  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

No  developed  calendar  is  known  among  the  wild  tribes  of  Norih 
America.  The  highest  achievements  known  of  in  this  line,  consist-ng  of 
simple  pictographic  symbols  of  the  year-,  but  there  is  no  reason  why  tha 
Mound-Buildt-rs  should  not  have  achieved  a  pretty  accurate  division  of 
time,  resembling  in  its  main  features  the  systems  of  their  Southern  neighbors. 

The  ancient  Mexican  pictographic  methods  abound  in  representations 
of  trees,  conventionalized  in  such  a  manner  as  to  resemble  crosses.  By 
comparison  of  these  curious  trees  with  the  remarkable  cross  in  the  Palen- 
que  tablet,  I  have  been  led  to  believe  that  they  must  have  a  common  signifi. 
cance  and  origin.  The  branches  of  these  cross-shaped  trees  terminate  in 
clusters  of  symbolic  fruit,  and  the  arms  of  them  are  loaded  down  with  sym- 
bols. The  most  remarkable  feature  is  that  the  crosses  perform  like  func- 
tions, in  giving  support  to  a  symbolic  bird,  which  is  perched  upon  the  sum- 
mit. The  analogies  go  still  further,  the  bases  of  the  cross  in  the  tablet  and 
in  the  paintings  are  made  to  rest  upon  a  highly  corventionalizf;d  figure  of 
some  mythical  creature.  A  consideration  of  these  facts  seems  to  lead  to 
the  conclusion  that  the  myths  represented  are  identical,  and  the  cross  and 
the  cross-like  trees  have  a  common  origin ;  whether  the  origin  is  in  the  tree, 
or  in  a  cross,  otherwise  evolved,  is  uncertain 

With  all  people  the  bird  has  been  a  most  important  symbol.  It  came 
naturally  to  be  associated  with  the  phenomena  of  the  sky,  the  wind,  the 
storm,  the  lightning,  and  the  thunder  In  the  imagination  of  the-red  man 
it  became  the  actual  ruler  of  the  elements  and  the  guardian  of  the  four 
quarters  of  the  heavens.  The  storm  bird  of  the  Dakotas  dwells  iti  the 
uppt-r  air.  When  it  flaps  its  wings,  we  hear  the  thunder;  when  it  shakes 
out  its  plumage,  the  rain  descends. 

The  significance  of  the  looped  figure,  which  forms  a  prominent  feature, 
has  not  been  determined,  but  it  would  be  well  to  point  out  the  fact  that  a 
similar  looped  rectangle  occurs  several  times  in  the  ancient  Mexican 
manuscripts. 

Among  the  insects,  the  spider  is  best  calculated  to  attract  the  attention 
of  the  savage.  It  is  in  many  respects  a  very  extraordinary  creature,  and  is 
endowed  with  powers,  which  naturally  place  it  along  with  the  rattlesnake 
and  other  creatures  possessing  supernatural  attributes.  With  the  great 
Shoshone  family,  the  spider  was  the  first  weaver. 

An  examination  of  the  plates  will  show  that  the  serpent 
and  tree,  the  circle  and  cross,  and  the  human  figures  were  re- 
presented by  effigies,  as  well  as  by  relics.  It  will  also  reveal 
the  fact  that  human  sacrifices  and  contests  between  warriors 
are  depicted  by  the  relics  found  in  the  mounds,  as  well  as  by 
the  codices  from  Mexico. 

Now,  the  question  which 'we  ask  in  connection  with  these 
resemblances,  is  whether  they  do  not  prove  a  transmission  of 
symbols;  but  if  a  transmission  from  one  part  of  the  continent 
to  another,  why  not  from  the  Eastern  to  the  Western.  It  is 
acknowledged  now  chat  the  symbols  which  have  been  found  in 
the  buried  cities  of  Knossos,  Crete  and  Mycenre  were  received 
from  Southern  Asia,  but  the  very  same  symbols  are  also  found 
on  the  American  continent,  and  what  is  more  they  have  the 
same  combinations  and  seem  to  have  the  same  underlying 
thought. 

There  are,  to  be  sure,  certain  serpent  effigies  here,  which 
are  not  found  elsewhere,  but  if  we  look  at  the  circles  and 
squares,  the  serpents  and  trees,  birds'  wings  on  human  bodies, 
cosmic  symbols  and  whirling  crosses,  priestly  robes  and  warrior 
attitudes,  and  phallic  symbols  in  human  mouths,  we  shall  find 
the  parallel  most  surprising.     It  will  be  noted  that  the  serpent 


BIRD   TABLET   FROM   OHIO    MOUNDS. 

This  tablet  has  the  same  contour  as  certa-n  earthworks,  both  of  which  show  the  taste  of 
the  Mound-Euilders. 


Cahokia   Tablet — Reverse, 


The  Phallic  Symbol  on  the  Cahokia   Tablet. 


SYMBOLIC  CARVINGS  AMONG  THE    MOUNDS.  309 

and,  what  is  more,  that  the  figure  of  the  tree  is  also  apparent 
in  these  figures,  showing  still  more  conclusively  that  there  was 
a  mingling  of  eastern  symbols  with  the  native  aboriginal  em- 
blems in  these  human  tree  figures. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


THE  SOUTHERN  MOUND-BUILDERS;  THEIR  WORKS 

AND  RELICS. 

We  have  now  passed  over  the  different  districts  which  were 
occupied  by  the  Mound-Builders,  and  have  described  their 
earthworks,  their  relics,  their  symbols,  their  religious  customs, 
and  their  migrations;  but  have  said  little  concerning  their 
domestic  life  and  their  social  condition.  This  will  be  the  sub- 
ject of  the  present  chapter  But  in  treating  of  it,  we  shall 
draw  illustrations  mainly  from  the  Mound-Builders  of  the 
South. 

It  will  be  understood  that  there  was  quite  a  difference 
between  the  Mound-Building  tribes,  for  some  were  hunters  and 
lived  a  comparatively  wild  life,  and  resembled  the  wandering 
tribes  which  were  well  known  to  history.  The  Southern  Mound- 
Builders  led  an  agricultural  life  and  were  settled  in  permanent 
villages,  many  of  which  may  be  identified  by  the  groups  of 
mounds  which  are  found  in  different  localities,  the  most  of 
them  having  the  form  of  pyramids,  and  are  found  on  the  banks 
of  the  rivers  and  larger  streams.  These  Southern  Mound- 
Builders  may  have  been  ancestors  of  the  Muscogee  tribes, 
which  were  visited  by  De  Soto  in  his  famous  expeditions,  but 
if  they  were,  they  must  have  passed  through  a  great  change 
before  they  became  known,  for  the  testimony  of  travellers  is  to 
the  effect  that  many  of  the  Southern  tribes,  especially  the 
Cherokees,  declared  that  they  did  not  build  these  mounds,  but 
found  them,  when  they  first  came  into  the  region,  and  the 
Muscogecs  themselves  seem  to  know  very  little  about  their 
ancestors. 

This  may  be  said  of  the  Mound-Builders  of  the  Gulf 
States,  they  were  more  advanced  in  their  stage  of  culture  and 
in  their  art  products  than  anj  other  class  of  Mound-Builders, 
though  the  tribes  which  dwelt  in  Southern  Ohio  were,  perhaps, 
similar  to  them  in  many  respects. 

In  treating  of  them,  we  shall  class  them  together,  without 
regard  to  the  tribes  which  survived  them,  taking  the  earth- 
works and  the  relics  which  have  been  discovered  throughout 
the  Gulf  States,  as  our  special  object  of  study. 


m 


PREHISTORIC  MOKU^fENTS. 


I.  We  begin  with  the  earthwork?.  It  will  be  understood 
that  pyramid  mounds  are  found  as  tar  oorth  as  St.  Louis  and 
the  mouth  of  the  Missouri  River,  as  far  west  as  the  St.  Francis 
River  in  Arkansas,  as  far  east  as  the  Etowah  River  in  Northern 
Georgia,  and  as  far  south  as  the  Gulf  of  Mexico.  The  largest 
number  of  them  are  found  at  different  points  along  the 
Mississippi  River.  All  the  groups  present  striking  resembl- 
ances. This  will  be  seen  if  we  examine  the  cut.  which  repre 
sents  the  works  at  St.  Louis,  for  here  we  find  that  the  platform 
mounds  were  all  arranged  around  an  open  area,  and  were 
furnished  with  graded  ways  which  led  to  the  summit,  making 
them  resemble  the  various  groups  which  are  scattered  through- 
out the  Gulf  States. 

In  reference  to  t'-;  -^      -^e-r   r^--    .-n.-      -,   .,.„.,,... 

that  thev  were  Pvra:;\^  .  ..  .„c:i.  :-.:.-  : :;,;:;.  r  ^  :..     ^  _ 


EarfA   Wiarks  at  St.  Lotas. 

Builders  of  the  Southwest,  in  many  respects,  suggesting  the 
thought  that  they  eith**r  belonged  to  the  same  stock,  or  had 
been  in  contact  with  them. 

The  idea  conveyed  by  their  earthworks,  is  that  they  mark 
the  sites  of  ancient  villages,  and  were  used  by  the  ruling 
classes  as  the  places  in  which  they  erected  their  great  houses 
and  their  rotundas;  while  the  common  people  dwelt  on  the 
level  ground  about  them.  These  great  houses,  if  they  were 
situated  in  Central  America  and  built  of  stone,  would  be  called 
palaces,  and  the  rotundas  would  be  called  temples;  for  they 
present  the  same  general  plan  of  arrangement,  and  indicate 
that  a  very  similar  form  of  government  prevailed  in  both 
regions.  VVe  may  take.  then,  these  groups  of  pyramids  scat- 
tered through  the  Gulf  States,  as  representing  the  same  system 
of  society,  but  at  a  lower  stage:  the  villages  which  were  located 
around  these  pyramids,  having  been  organized  after  the  same 


THE   SOUTHERN   MOUND-BUILDERS, 


Sll 


general  model  as  the  cities  o:  tr.e  ~:^re  . 
give  a  series  of  cuts  which  re^resea:  ihe^e 
which  were  situated  on  the  Mississic-:: 


..zed  thbes.  We 
a^e  sites,  some  of 
er.  others  on  the 


rivers  farther  to  the  east.  It  will  be  noticed  that  these  villages 
contained  groups  of  pyramids,  but  were  surro-inied  bv  arti- 
ficial ponds,  which  have  been  called  "  Fish  Preser\-es!~  and 
were  protected  by  the  ponds.  ver>-  much  a>  the  castles  of 
Europe  were  by  the  wide  moats  that  surrounded  them.  In 
one  case,  at  Walnut  Bayou,  the  pyramids  were  connected  by 
platforms,  and  a  long  wall  extended  from  the  p^-^^s.-r-ds  along 
the  side  of  the  stream,  or  bayou.     (See  the  cut.  > 

It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  Herrera  describes  ine  villages 
through  which  De  Soto  passed  as  "  fortified,  with  a  ditch  full 
of  water  conveved  to  it  through  a  canal  from  the  ereat  river. 


•*'-^  ■^-r-*  w 


1  -  r*  -r^^^- 


-I    1  -•. 


J*jrrmautb  at  U'jJkh*  Pj'..-%^ 

The  ditch  enclosed  three  sides  of  :.-.-  ..  :r.e  lourth  side  be 

ing  secured  with  high  and  thick  pa-.-.._  =  s."  Having  entered 
the  pro\"ince  of  Amilco.  they  traveled  thirty  leagues  to  a  town 
of  400  houses  and  a  large  square,  where  the  cacique's  house 
stood  upon  a  mound,  made  by  art.  on  the  bank  of  a  river. 

Du  Pratz  also  speaks  of  the  Natchez  in  1720.  He  sa^  s; 
"The  sovereign  of  the  Natchez  showed  me  their  temple, 
which  is  about  thirty  feet  square  and  stands  on  an  artificial 
mound,  about  eight  feet  high,  by  the  side  of  a  river.  The 
mound  slopes  from  the  front,  but  on  the  other  side  it  is  steeper." 

The  principle  structure  at  Walnut  Bayou  is  220  feet  long, 
165  feet  broad,  and  30  feet  high.     It  has  a  '  ly  on  the 

south  side.  60  feet  from  the  base,  and  leads  in  :.^....i.r  grade  to 
the  top.  A  similar  mound,  smaller  in  size,  faces  the  pyramid, 
with  a  graded  way  and  similar  platforms.  At  the  east  side 
are  three  pyramids  which  are  connected,  the  central  one  being 


l\2 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


96  feet  square,  and  10  feet  high ;  two  others,  60  feet  square,  and 
8  feet  high,  the  three  being  connected  by  a  wall,  or  terrace,  40 
feet  wide,  but  only  4  feet  high.  One  of  these  terraces  is  75  feet 
long;  the  other,  125  feet  long.  The  elevated  way  is  3  feet  high, 
75  feet  wide,  and  2,700  feet  in  length.  There  are  excavations  on 
either  side  of  the  embankment,  200  feet  wide  and  300  feet  long. 
The  relative  situation  of  the  pyramids  to  one  another,  would 
indicate  that  they  were  the  abodes  of  the  chiefs,  that  the  pub- 
lic square  was  between  them,  and  that  the  houses  of  the  com- 
mon people  were  situated  on  the  level  ground  outside  of  the 

pyramids. 

The  relative  situation  of  the  excavations  to  each  other  and 
to  the  elevated  way  suggests  the  idea  that  the  latter  may  have 

been  used  as  a  place  of 
refuge,  or  a  canoe  land- 
ing,in  case  of  high  water; 
or,  what  is  more  probable, 
as  a  path  from  the  pyra- 
mids to  the  fish  preserves. 
The  works  at  Prairie 
Jefferson  are  situated  in 
the  midst  of  cultivated 
lands,  and  have  two  lines 
of  ditches  surrounding 
them,  with  large  ponds 
inside  the  ditches.  This 
would  indicate  that  the 
people  depended  upon 
the  fields,  in  which  they 
raised  maize,  for  subsist- 
ence; but  at  the  same 
time  gathered  fish  into 
their  artificial  ponds.  The 
grouping  of  the  pyramids 
suggests  the  thought  that 
they  were  not  only  used 
as  platforms  on  which  the  ruling  classes  placed  their  houses, 
but  also  were  places  of  resort  in  high  water,  exactly  as  were 
the  pyramids  surrounding  the  great  Cahokia  Mounds.  The 
size  of  these  pyramids  may  be  found  in  the  following  table  : 

The  works  at  Prairie  Jefferson  consist  of  six  mounds,  which 
vary  from"  4  to  48  feet  in  height,  from  60  to  120  feet  in  length, 
and  40  to  135  feet  in  width.  One  mound  called  the  "  Temple," 
has  a  level  area  on  its  summit,  51  by  45  teet  in  diameter.  The 
top  is  reached  by  a  winding  wa}-;  but  it  reminds  us  of  the  stair- 
ways leading  up  to  the  temples  of  Central  America.  The 
mounds  which  face  this  temple  are  all  alike;  they  have  terraces 
in  front  which  incline  toward  the  open  space,  but  are  quite 
steep  in  the  rear.  There  is  an  embankment,  with  a  ditch,  on 
the  outside,  and  a  pond  on  the  inside,  which  may  have  served 


too  h  U  A*  h«lt 

Pyramid  Mounds  at  Prairie  Jefferson. 


THE   SOUTHERN   MOUND-BUILDERS. 


3i3 


as  a  defense.  The  ponds  surrounding  this  group  have  outlets, 
which  were  controlled  as  the  Mound-Builders  desired.  But 
the  earth  which  was  taken  from  them  was  probably  used  in 
forming  the  pyramids. 

There  is  another  group  at  Selzertown,  Mississippi.  It  con- 
sists of  a  truncated  pyramid,  600  by  400  feet  at  the  base,  and 
covers  six  acres  of  ground.  This  is  40  feet  high,  and  is  sur- 
rounded by  a  ditch  averaging  ten  feet  in  depth,  and  is  ascended 
by  graded  ways.  The  area  on  the  top  embraces  about  four 
acres.  There  are  two  conical  mounds  on  the  summit,  one  at 
each  end;  the  one  at  the  west  end  is  not  far  from  40  feet  in 
height,  and  has  an  area  at  the  top  of  about  30  feet  in  diameter. 
This  may  have  been  used  a?^  a  rotunda,  though  it  is  unusual  to 
have  a  rotunda  on  the  summit  of  a  square  pyramid.  This  large 
mound  has  its  sides  to  correspond  with  the  cardinal  points.  It 
is  su  rr  ou  nde  d'  by 
eight  other  mounds, 
placed  at  various 
points.  These  are 
comparatively  small. 
There  are  other 
groups  of  pyramids 
along  the  Mississippi 
River,  from  Cairo  to 
a  point  fifty  miles 
above  New  Orleans. 
The  whole  region 
joining  the  Missis- 
sippi Ri\er  and  its 
tributaries  was 
densely  populated 
by  the  same  people. 
Mr.    G.   C.    Forshey 

describes  works  of  the  same  kind,  some  of  immense  propor- 
tions at  Trinity  in  the  parish  of  Catahoula,  Louisiana.  Other 
mounds  are  found  at  Natchez,  one  of  them  25  feet  high.  Prof. 
J.  T.  Short  says: 

These  observations  convince  us  that  the  State  of  Louisiana  and  the  val- 
leys of  the  Arkansas  and  Red  Rivers,  were  not  only  the  most  thickly  popu- 
.lated  wing  of  the  Mound-Builders'  dominion,  but  also  furnished  remains 
which  present  affinities  with  the  great  works  of  Mexico  so  striking  that  no 
doubt  can  longer  exist  that  the  same  people  were  the  architects  of  both. 

There  are  other  works  similar  to  these,  in  Georgia  on  the 
Ocomulgee  River,  at  Shoulder  Bone  Creek  and  other  localities, 
cuts  of  which  are  given.  The  most  interesting  group  is  that 
on  the  Etowah  River.  These  mounds  are  in  the  midst  of  a 
beautiful  and  fertile  valley,  occupying  a  central  position,  cover- 
ing an  area  of  some  fifty  acres,  bounded  on  the  east  by  the 
Etowah  River,  and  on  the  west  by  an  artificial  canal  and  two 
artificial  ponds.     The  width  of  the  canal  is  from  20  to  55  feet, 


I  'lUa^e  on  OcDiulgce  River, 


814 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


and  from  5  to  25  feet  in  depth.  Within  the  enclosure  arc  seven 
mounds.  The  largest  of  which  is  a  pentagon,  the  sides  as  fol- 
lows: 150,  160,  100,  90,  and  100  feet;  the  diameter,  225  feet; 
height,  65  feet.  The  approach  to  the  top  is  by  an  inclined  plane, 
leading  from  one  terrace  to  another.  The  terraces  are  65  feet 
in  width,  and  extend  from  the  mound  toward  the  southeast. 
There  is  a  pathway  on  the  eastern  angle,  which  Mr.  Jones 
thinks  was  designed  for  the  priesthood  alone.  Dr.  Thomas 
thinks  this  mound  was  visited  b)^  De  Soto,  and  was  the  place 
where  the  ambassadors  of  the  noted  Cacique  of  Cutifachiqui 
delivered  their  message  to  him. 

In  the  mound  marked  B,  adjoining  this  pyramid,  the  assist- 
ants of  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology  found  two  copper  plates  which 
represent  human 
figures  with  wings 
issuing  from  their 
shoulders.  These 
figures  have  pecu- 
liarities, which  re- 
mind us  of  the  Mexi- 
can or  Aztec  Divini- 
ties. They  also  re- 
semble those  found 
in  Babylonia,  but 
they  have  arms  as 
well  as  wings.  Still, 
these  figures  repre- 
sent dancers  covered 
with  birds  masks  and 
wings, but  havingthe 
usual  costumes  of 
the  Indians,  with  knit 
bands  around  the 
ankles,  legs,  wrists 
and  arms,  with  a 
pouch  at  the  side, 
a  maxtli  or  sash  fall- 
ing down  in  front.  The  attitude  reminds  us  of  a  medicine 
man,  or  chief,  engaged  in  dancing. 

II.  The  houses  of  the  Southern  Mound-Builders  are  worthy 
of  study.  These  differed  from  the  huts  of  the  Northern 
Indians  in  all  respects,  for  they  were  built  with  upright  walls, 
with  rectangular  rooms,  and  with  roofs  which  were  generally 
thatched  but  projected  over  the  side  and  came  down  near  the 
ground.  Some  of  the  houses  were  built  with  posts,  and  were 
lathed  and  plastered  both  outside  and  inside,  though  without 
using  nails.  The  lathing  was  made  of  canes,  worked  in  and 
out  around  the  posts  and  held  in  position  by  interwoven  twigs. 
The  plaster  was  applied  both  inside  and  out.    (See  the  cut.) 


The  Etowah  Mound. 


I 


i 


Sti£^ 


'¥^. 


"^fS^':'*: 


>'-dL 


i^.^ 


THK   SOUTHERN    MOUND-BUILDERS. 


3»7 


The  remains  of  such  houses  have  been  found  in  the  mounds 
of  Missouri,  and  in  the  villages  which  abound  amid  the  cypress 
swamps  of  Arkansas.  There  were  many  dwelling  sites,  some 
of  which  contained  a  number  of  fire  beds,  showing  that  a  suc- 
cession of  dwellings  had  been  built,  one  above  the  other;  the 
dwellings  having  been  burned  and  rebuilt  a  third  or  fourth  time. 
One  of  the  dwellings  contained  three  rooms  nearly  square. 

Skeletons  were  found  under  the  layers  of  the  hearth  inside 
the  dwellings.     These  were  of    different    sizes,  and,  perhaps. 


Stone  Cist  itt  the  Shape  of  a  Hut. 

represent  members  of  the  same  family.  This  shows  that 
the  custom  was  to  bury  bodies  under  the  hearth,  burn  the 
houses  and  build  again;  or,  possibly,  burn  the  house  on  the 
occasion  of  any  death  in  the  household.  It  was  the  custom 
of  the  Natchez  to  burn  the  body  of  the  chief,  and  along  with 
him  his  wives  and  servants,  but  there  is  no  evidence  of  such 
a  custom  among  the  Mound-Builders  of  this  region.  The 
author,  at  one  time,  discovered  in  Adams  County,  Illinois,  a 
mound  which  contained  at  its  base  a  fire-bed,  or  altar,  on  which  a 


-fii— ^. 


r'  -. 


-.-  -.^ 


i|,7-"^.:ii    jlllf 


Mound- Builders'  House   Wall. 

chief  had  been  cremated,  with  his  wives  and  servants  by  his  side. 
It  is  plain,  then,  that  there  was  a-  succession  of  tribes 
throughout  the  Mississippi  Valley,  some  of  which  built  their 
houses  in  rectangular  shape;  others,  in  conical  form.  The  very 
shape  of  the  houses  furnish  a  hint  as  to  the  stage  of  culture 
reached.  The  ordinary  style  of  building  a  house  among  the 
hunting  Indians  was  that  of  a  cone  or  hemisphere.  But  with 
the  sedentary  tribes,  who  were  agriculturist,  the  long  house  was 


318 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


common.  The  Southern  tribes  varied  according  to  situation. 
Lodge  circles  are  very  numerous  on  the  banks  of  the  Missouri 
River  and  in  the  cypress  swamps  of  Arkansas,  and  among  the 
stone  graves  of  Tennessee. 

But  throughout  the  Southern  States  the  council  houses,  or 
great  houses,  were  rectangular.  They  were  sometimes  built  on 
the  summits  of  pyramids,  and  formed  a  quadrangle,  called  a 
public  square.  Such  houses,  according  to  Bartram,  were  com- 
mon among  the  Cherokees  and  various  tribes  situated  in  the 
Gulf  States. 

The  stone  graves  were  often  placed  in  a  circle  and  arranged 
in  tiers,  one  above  the  other,  making  a  heap  resembling  a  coni- 


Head  Vase  from   Tennessee. 

cal  hut,  but  with  a  fire-bed  in  the  center.  In  this  way  the  dead 
were  supposed  to  be  following  the  same  habits  with  the  living, 
exactly  as  was  the  case  with  the  ancient  inhabitants  of  Europe, 
who  erected  the  dolmens,  though  there  the  bodies  were  placed 
in  a  sitting  posture,  and  the  chambers  were  rectangular. 
Among  the  stone  graves  the  usual  mode  of  burial  was  hori- 
zontal, with  a  bowl  or  jug  near  the  head  or  feet  or  hips,  and 
always  with  a  bottle  near  the  body.  This  is  very  suggestive  of 
the  belief  in  the  future  state.  Sometimes  vessels  in  the  shape 
of  the  human  head,  or  masks  inscribed  with  the  human  face, 
were  buried  with  the  body.  One  vessel  has  been  found  finely 
decorated  with  a  life-like  mask. 


THE   SOUTHERN   MOUND-BUILDERS. 


319 


There  is  a  lesson  to  be 
learned  from  this  succession 
of  houses,  for  it  proves  that 
the  villages  were  occupied 
for  a  long  time,  and  instead 
of  being  as  recent  as  some 
would  represent,  the  vil- 
lages were  ancient.  The 
same  impression  is  made  by 
the  study  of  the  burial 
mounds,  for  some  of  these 
present  a  succession  of 
burials  and  indicate  that  a 
number  of  different  tribes 
are  buried  in  the  same 
mounds,  thus  unconsciously 


Pottery  from  Ash-Pits  in  Ohio. 


leaving  a  record  of  occupation,  which  may  have  stretched  over 
a  period  of  even  a  thousand  years,  and  embraced  a  succession 
of  population. 

111.  The  pottery  and  other  specimens  of  art  which  be- 
longed to  the  Southern  Mound-Huilders  were  of  a  superior 
character,  and  show  that  this  people  had  more  than  ordinary 
skill  in  moulding  clay  into  imitative  shapes.  This  is  indicated 
by  the  vase  in  the  shape  of  a  human  face,  just  described.  It  is 
also  further  proved,  by  the  great  variety  of  shapes  in  which 
clay  was  moulded  by  this  unknown  people. 

We  may  say  that  the  pottery  of  the  Southern  Mound- 
Builders  was  very  superior  to  that  found  in  most  of  the  North- 
ern moundS;  though  there  are  a  few  exceptional  cases.  To 
realize  this,  we  only  need  to  examine  the  rude  vessels  taken 
out  from  the  mounds  of  New  York  and  the  ash-beds  of  South- 
ern Ohio,  and  compare  them  with  those  from  the  stone  graves 

of  Tennessee  and  the 
cypress  swamps  of 
Arkansas.  We  shall 
find  that  the  former 
occasionally  have 
handles  on  the  side, 
some  with  two  rows 
of  handles.  But  there 
are  r^irely  any  imita- 
tive shapes  presented 
by  them.  They  are, 
for  the  most  part, 
plain  cooking  vessels, 
designed  to  be  sus- 
pended over  the  fire, 
though  they  occasion- 
ally have  a  'pointed 
Pottery  from  the  Ash-Pits  in  Ohio.  base,  giving  the   idea 


320 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


that  they  were  forced  into  the  ground  and  a  fire  built  around 
them.  It  is  easy  to  draw  a  picture  of  the  people  using  these 
pottery  vessels,  as  gathered  about  the  fire  outside  their  hut. 
But  it  would  be  a  picture  of  a  rude  people,  without  skill  in 
moulding  pottery,  and  with  no  taste  in  decoration.  The  only 
taste  displayed  was  in  decorating  the  bodies  of  their  chiefs 
with  feathers,  and  painting  their  own  faces  in  different  colors, 
or  carving  pipes  in  shapes  imitating  birds  and  animals. 

The  Southern  Mound-Builders  decorated  their  pottery  with 
a  great  variety  of  ornaments,  with  spiral  lines,  with  circles, 
with  bands,  crosses,  \olutes  or  scrolls,  and  occasionally  with 
the  suastika  or  hooked  cross.  There  are  vessels,  also,  which 
give  the  shape  of  a  star,  with  four,  eight  or  nine  rays,  and  a 
circle  on  the  face  of  a  star,  representing  the  sun.  One  bottle 
described  by  General  Thruston  has  a  hand  painted  on  the  out- 
side; this  was  from  the  stone  graves.  But  a  number  of  bottles 
and  vases  from  the  middle   Mississippi   district,  are  decorated 


Pottery  frotit  the  Stone  Graves. 

with  scrolls  and  loops,  as  well  as  spirals,  and  are  very  graceful. 

Dr.  Edward  Evers  has  described  the  pottery  found  in  the 
swamp  villages  of  Southeastern  Missouri,  and  so  throws  ad- 
ditional light  upon  the  character  and  civilization  of  the  people. 
He  says  all  the  pottery  belongs  to  nations,  who  had  abandoned 
their  nomadic  habits  and  were  following  agricultural  pursuits. 

All  this  pottery  is  made  of  dark-grayish  clay,  mixed  with 
sand  and  shells.  The  larger  portion  of  it  is  sun-dried.  In 
many  of  the  ornamented  specimens  the  decoration  is  painted 
in  red,  white  and  black.  Some  are  decorated  with  birds'  heads, 
which  are  hollow,  holding  clay  pellets,  which  rattle  when  the 
vessel  is  shaken.  The  curious  shape  of  one  \essel  suggests 
that  it  was  a  lamp.  Square-shaped  vessels  are  the  earliest 
shapes,  very  rarely  decorated.  Other  vessels  have  short 
cylindrical  necks,  with  no  handles,  resembling  large  vases  or 
jars,  but  decorated  with  disks  and  circles;  occasionally  with 
pointed  rays  in  different  colors.  One  jar  has  a  band  around 
the  bowl,  with  circles  above  and  below  the  band.  Other  jars 
are  imitative  in  shape,  of  gourds  and  other  natural  objects. 

The  bottles  present  the  most  graceful  forms.  Some  of 
these  are  shown  in  the  plate.     One  shows   a  fish  with   scales, 


tME  SOUTHERN  MOUND-BUILDERS.  S23 

which  are  very  natural;  another,  a  domestic  dog,  with  spiral 
lines  from  mouth  to  tail;  another  has  a  serpent  around  the 
bowl;  another,  a  series  of  circles  with  a  cross  inside,  and  the 
suastika  is  found  in  other  circles.  Another  bottle  has  concen- 
tric circles  in  different  colors.  The  form  of  these  bottles  is 
very  graceful.  The  symbolism  is  quite  suggestive.  There  are 
other  vessels  and  dishes,  some  with  flaring  sides,  scalloped 
rims;  others  very  plain,  resembling  large  bowls;  others  of 
rectangular  shape. 

There  are  also  dippers  which  resemble  gourds,  and  pots 
which  are  made  in  the  shape  of  animals  and  fishes;  the  back 
of  the  animal  is  open,  but  the  sides  or  body  make  the  bowl. 
Occasionally  human  heads  are  represented,  the  neck  forming 
the  base,  the  face  and  head  the  bowl,  and  the  opening  of 
the  bowl  being  at  the  top  of  the  head.  The  most  graceful  of 
all  are  the  bottles,  for  these  have  long  necks  and  spherical 
bowls,  which  present  beautiful  rounded  shapes,  decorated  with 
attractive  figures.  The  vases  in  imitation  of  gourds  are  very 
beautiful. 

The  pottery  from  the  stone  graves  of  Tennessee  resembles 
that  found  in  Missouri  and  Arkansas,  and  is  probably  made  by 
the  same  race  of  Mound-Builders.  A  large  number  of  these 
vessels  are  kettle  shaped,  varying  in  size  from  little  toys,  one 
inch  wide,  to  large  pots,  a  yard  in  diameter.  A  set  of  bowls 
of  well-burned  ware  present  symmetrical  forms.  A  bowl,  or 
drinking  cup,  with  a  head  on  the  edge,  is  one  of  the  best  pieces 
of  modeling  in  terra-cotta.  Another  IdowI,  with  a  head  on  the 
rim,  and  arms  and  feet  on  the  sides,  is  interesting.  Drinking 
cups  in  the  shape  of  sea  shells  are  numerous.  A  little  toy 
vessel  in  the  shape  of  a  fish,  is  also  attractive. 

A  group  of  pottery  from  the  stone  graves  representing  fish 
and  animal  forms  are  familiar  models  of  the  old  pottery- 
makers.  These  may  represent  the  emblems  of  the  Southern 
tribes.     Similar  forms  are  found  in  Arkansas  and  Missouri. 

The  pottery  vessels  which  imitate  the  human  face  and  form 
are  very  interesting,  because  they  give  an  idea  of  how  the 
pottery-makers  looked.  There  is  a  difference  between  them, 
for  some  of  the  faces  resemble  those  of  Indians;  others  have 
the  features  of  the  white  man.  The  very  color  of  the  pottery 
makes  the  resemblance  the  more  striking. 

There  is  a  tradition  that  a  white  race  forn\erly  existed  amoncr 
the  Mound-Builders,  though  the  general  supposition  is  that 
they  were  Albinos.  The-e  pottery  vessels,  however,  represent 
faces  which  resemble  those  of  white  men  of  historic  countries. 
We  base  no  argument  upon  this  resemblance,  and  yet  it  is  very 
striking.  Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  holds,  in  his  work  on  "Suastika," 
that  the  shell  found  in  the  Big  Toco  Mound  in  Tennessee, 
represented  in  the  Twelfth  Annual  Report  of  the  Bureau  of 
Ethnology,  gives  evidences  of  Buddhism  in  the  Western 
Hemisphere.     This  shell   is  in  fragments,  but  it  represents  a 


324 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


person  with  slim  waist,  legs  crossed  Hindu  fashion,  with  long 
feet,  broad  toes;  a  girdle  about  the  waist;  a  triangular  covering 
on  the  hips;  bands  about  ankles  and  arms;  wings  extending 
from  the  shoulders,  the  feathers  marked  by  circles  and  dots. 
The  whole  figure  being  seated  upon  a  circular  cushion,  repre- 
sented by  the  edge  of  the  shell. 

All  these  show  a  different  dress  from  the  ancient  North 
Americans.  There  is  a  mystery  about  this  whole  subject  of 
symbolism,  which  cannot  be  solved  at  present.  We  only  call 
attention  to  the  figure,  for  the  sake  of  showing  that  the  art  of 
the  Southern  Mound-Builders  was  quite  superior  to  that  of  the 
Northern  Indians.     And  this  suggests  that  they  belonged  to  a 

different  stock,  and  may 
have  come  from  a  differ- 
ent source.  Possibly  they 
may  ha\'e  received  some 
of  their  symbols  from 
more  civilized  races. 

1  he  pottery  found  in 
the  sand  mounds  of 
Florida,  is  very  different 
from  that  found  in  the 
Gulf  States  further  west, 
and  indicates  a  different 
stage  of  culture.  This 
pottery  is  made  up  of 
large  bowl-like  vessels 
which  have  no  bottom, 
the  use  of  which  is  a 
mystery.  There  are  also 
,  ^\)  many  pottery  vessels  in 
' 'jttJf  ^^^  shape  of  animals  and 
fishes,  some  of  which  are 
very  grotesque,  as  if 
made  only  tor  amuse- 
ment. 

There  is  very  little  de- 
coration on  this  Florida 
pottery,  and  no  such  symbolism  as  may  be  seen  in  that  found 
in  the  stone  graves.  Still,  if  we  compare  the  Florida  pottery 
with  that  found  in  the  Northern  States— New  York,  Michigan, 
Wisconsin,  Minnesota,  and  Iowa— we  shall  conclude  that  this 
people  were  better  pottery-makers.  This  impression  is  con- 
firmed by  the  study  of  the  fragments  picked  up  on  the  surface, 
for  many  of  these  are  decorated  with  a  variety  of  patterns. 

The  pottery  of  the  Gulf  States  furnishes  sonie  problems 
not  easy  to  solve,  as  we  occasionally  come  upon  vessels  which 
seem  to  be  extra  limital  in  origin.  One  such  vessel  is  shown 
in  the  cut.  It  represents  a  water  vessel  supported  by  a  tripod, 
in  which  we  recognize  three  human  faces.    These  remind  us  of 


P'ase  JVM  Three  Heads. 


THE   SOUTHERN    MOUND-BUILDERS. 


325 


the  Triad  of  the  Hindus,  though  there  is  no  symbolism  and  no 
ornament  about  the  faces,  and  we  are  left  only  to  the  simple 
fact  that  the  three  faces  are  joined  together  and  belong  to  the 
same  piece.  Still,  if  we  take  the  strange  combination  of  heads 
and  compare  it  with  the  tripods  made  up  of  \Mshnu,  Siva  and 
Brahma,  so  common  in  India,  and  then  take  the  shell  orna- 
tnent,  which  presents  the  seated  figure  in  the  attitude  of 
Buddha,  we  shall  be  led  to  ask  whether  there  was  not  at  one 
time  some  Hindu  visitor  in  the  land.  This  xessel  was  found  in 
the  Hollywood  Mound  in  Georgia.  Another  bottle  was  found 
in  the  same  mound,  which  was  ornamented  with  the  figure  of  a 
large  star  with  eigh- 
teen rays;  also  a  light 
anda  dark  circle,  with 
a  cross  in  the  center 
•of  a  circle,  the  whole 
representing  a  combi- 
nation of  symbols 
which  is  very  signifi- 
cant. In  the  same 
mound  was  a  pot 
Avhich  was  ornament- 
ed with  a  feathered 
serpent,  whose  body 
was  covered  with 
lozenge  -  shaped  fig- 
ures and  cross-hatch- 
ing, making  it  resem- 
ble the  serpent  sym- 
bols of  the  far  South- 
west. There  were 
fragments  of  porce- 
lain and  pieces  of  iron 
in  the  mound,  which 
showed  the  presence 
of  the  white  man. 

IV.  The  copper 
relics  which  have 
been  found  in  the 
mounds  are  the  best 
sources  of  information,  as  to  the  state  of  culture  reached 
"by  the  Mound-Builders.  Copper  relics  seem  to  have  been 
scattered  all  over  the  Mound-Builder  territory,  but  are  not 
wholly  confined  to  that  territory,  for  a  few  have  been  found 
•on  the  Northwest  coast,  and  others  in  the  far  Southwest.  All 
of  these  have  different  shapes  from  those  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley,  and  seem  to  have  been  used  as  badges  of  distinction, 
or  emblems  of  office.  The  same  is  true  of  a  certain  portion 
•of  the  copper  found  in  the  mounds,  though  the  majority 
of    them    are    articles    used    for    practical    purposes,  such    as 


Florida  Pottery. 


326 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


axes,  chisels,  knives,  spear-heads,  awls,  needles  and  fish  hooks. 
They  are  more  numerous  in  the  region  of  the  copper  mines  of 
Wisconsin.  No  state  has  furnished  a  greater  number  or  var  ety 
of  copper  relics  than  Wisconsin,  in  which  copper  mines  are  situ- 
ated. Large  collections  of  copper  relics  from  this  state  may 
be  found  in  Chicago,  in  Madison  and  Milwaukee,  Wis.,  and 
Davenport,  Iowa;  also,  in  the  National  Museum,  Washington, 
and  many  other  localities. 

The  first  account  of  the  finding  of  copper  relics,  was  pub- 
lished by  Colonel  Sargent  in  Drake's  "Picture  of  Cincinnati," 
and  by  Dr.  S.  P.  Hildreth  of  Marietta.  Ohio,  it  appears  that 
certain  silvor-covered  plates  of  copper  had  been  found  in  one 
of  the  streets  of  Marietta,  near  the  old  fort.  These  had  been 
buried  in  a  mound  with  a  body;  but  the  obsequies  had  been 
celebrated  by  fire,  and  while  the  ashes  were  yet  hot,  a  circle  of 

flat  stones  had 
been  laid  over  the 
body,  and  the  fire 
smothered.  A 
mound,  ten  feet 
high  and  thirty 
feet  in  diameter, 
was  then  erected. 
The  find  consisted 
,  of  three  large  cir- 
cular bosses,  or 
-  ornaments  for  a 
^  sword  belt.  A 
buckler,  of  cop- 
per o\-er-laid  with 
a  thick  plate  of 
silver,  was  on  the 
forehead  of  the 
body.  About  the 
same  time,  other  copper  relics,  which  were  called  "sword 
scabbards,"  were  discovered;  also  a  piece  of  sheet  copper, 
used  as  an  ornament  for  the  hair,  and  a  copper  plumb  and 
a  cylinder  of  copper.  All  of  these,  especially  the  "sword 
scabbards,"  suggested  the  presence  of  a  civilized  people,  and 
were  so  interpreted  by  the  discoverers. 

The  so-called  sword  scabbards  were  afterward  explained  by 
Prof.  F.  W.  Putnam,  and  the  so-called  bosses  were  shown  to  be 
ear  ornaments,  or  spool  ornaments;  and  the  silver-plated  sword 
scabbards  were  shown  to  be  sheaths  for  spears.  The  theory 
that  a  sword  scabbard  and  belt,  plumb  bobs  or  bosses,  and 
articles  of  iron  had  been  found  in  the  mounds  was  soon 
abandoned. 

Later  on,  in  the  year  1876,  a  discovery  was  made  of  copper 
relics,  and  many  other  objects,  in  a  mound  at  Davenport,  Iowa. 
These  relics  consisted  of  axes  wrapped  in  a  coarse  cloth;  also 


Copper  Relics  from  Iowa  Mound. 


THK    SOUTHERN    M  OUND  BUILDERS. 


527 


a  number  of  copper  needles  and  other  articles.  The  find  was 
described  by  Dr.  J.  W.  Farquharson.  who  also  described  the 
Davenport  Tablets,  and  mentioned  the  fact  that  some  had  re- 
garded them  as  containing  a  narrative  of  the  Flood. 

The  discussion  over  the  Mound-Builder  problem  was  pre- 
cipitated anew  by  these  different  finds;  some  holding  that  a 
mysterious  people  had  once  dwelt  in  the  Mississippi  Valley, 
but  had  disappeared;  others  believing  that  these  relics  were 
left  by  the  ancestors  of  the  Indian  tribes.  The  latter  opinion 
was  upheld  by  the  Bureau  of  Ethnology. 

A  copper  plate  from  a  mound  in  Vernon  County,  Wisconsin, 
is  given  in  the  cut.  This  mound  was  50  feet  in  diameter,  and 
4%  feet  high.  Ten  skeletons  were  found  at  various  depths;  at 
the  depth  of  four  feet,  two  were  found;  on  the  skull   of  one 


r^^^y^W«'-'>:— ■=■- "  .^^i;-^  r^v-.^iT^.?        JujF^-^ 


.^4---3£:  -;T"-^s"- ^«0: 


Copper  Plate  fro7n  Mound  in  Wisconsin. 

was  a  thick  copper  plate,  beaten  out  of  native  copper  with  rude 
implements,  which  had  been  probably  used  as  a  breast  plate 
and  part  of  the  dress  of  the  Mound-Builder.  This  plate 
resembles  one  found  by  Professor  Andrews  of  Ohio,  both  of 
which  show  that  the  Mound-Builders  of  this  region  were 
accustomed  to  use  copper  as  articles  of  dress,  as  well  as 
weapons  and  personal  ornaments  and  religious  symbols. 

A  discovery  was  made  by  the  assistants  of  the  Bureau,  in 
1883,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  great  Etowah  Mound,  which 
non-plussed  all  parties. 

Several  stone  graves  Vv^ere  found  here  at  the  bottom  of  a 
conical  mound,  near  the  great  mound,  or  pyramid,  and  within 
the  same  enclosure.  Each  of  these  graves  contained  a  single 
skeleton.  Three  of  them  were  those  of  children;  four  of 
them,  those  of  adults.  The  children  had  on  the  wrists  and 
neck  shell  beads.     One  of  the  adults  had  a  large  conch  shell 


328 


PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 


and  a  lot  of  copper  near  the  head;  another  had  an  engraved 
shell  on  the  breast;  another,  a  piece  of  copper  under  the  head. 
The  most  interesting  objects  were  two  thin  copper  plates,  and 
two  engrav^ed  shells,  each  of  which  presented  a  human  figure 
in  the  attitude  of  dancing.  These  had  wings  on  the  shoulders 
and  a  mask  upon  the  face,  resembling  the  beak  of  a  bird,  thus- 
making  composite  figures,  part  human  and  part  animal,, sug- 
j^esting  a  peculiar  superstition  or  ceremony.  The  discovery  of 
these  figures  gave  rise  to  renewed  discussion.  This  discussion 
was,  however,  affected  by  the  theories  which  had  been  pre- 
viously held  and  advocated.  Those  who  believed  in  the 
identity  of  the  Mound-Builders  with  the  modern  Indians, 
advocated  the  idea  that  the  figures  proved  a  contact  with  the 
white  man,  and  were  post-Columbian  in  their  origin;  while 
those  who  advo- 
cated the  antiquity 
of  the  Mound- 
Builders,  believed 
that  they  showed  a 
contact  with  the 
Toltecs  and  Aztecs. 
The  latter  is  the 
opinion  of  the 
writer,  for  two  of 
these  figures  seem 
to  be  holding  in  the 
hand  a  human  head 
or  mask;  thus  sug- 
gesting a  human 
sacrifice,  a  custom 
peculiar  to  the 
Aztecs,  and  not 
common  among 
the  Indians. 

The  figures  have 
bands  about  the 
arms  and  legs, 
pouches  at  the  side, 
and  badges  in  the  hands  which  resemble  those  worn  by 
Indian  dancers;  the  badges  on  the  top  of  the  head  resemble 
the  banner  stones,  but  suggest  the  double-bladed  axe,  so 
common  a  symbol  in  the  East.  The  attitudes  are  those 
of  Indian  dancers,  but  the  wings  which  protrude  from  the 
shoulders  resemble  those  which  are  seen  on  the  shoulders  of 
the  priests  of  Babylonia,  The  fact  that  these  graves  were 
near  the  Etowah  Mound,  and  that  these  copper  plates  were  so 
full  of  symbols  resembling  others  which  are  common  in  the 
region,  confirms  the  theory  that  the  Southern  Mound-Builders 
were  partakers  of  the  peculiar  customs  and  symbols  of  the 
tribes  of  the  Southwest.     Still,  the  fact  that  a  single  plate  was 


Shell  Gorget  from  Etowah  Mound. 


THE   SOUTHERN   MOUND-BUILDERS. 


329 


found  in  each  grave,  shows  the  official  character  of  the  person 
buried,  and  suggests  that  there  may  have  been  a  transmission  of 
symbols  from  one  part  of  the  country  to  another,  and  that  the 
Southern  Mound-Builders  had  contact  with  the  civilized  tribes 
of  Central  America  in  prehistoric  times. 

It  is  not  an  unusual  thing  to  find  a  mound  containing  a  num- 
ber of  these  cists  arranged  in  two,  three  or  more  tiers.  Dr.  Jones 
says  graves  ot  this  character  ha\e  been  observed  in  Northern 
Georgia,  Eastern  Tennessee,  the  valley  of  the  Delaware,  Ohio 
and  Southern  Illinois.  He  expresses  the  belief  that  in  some 
former  age  this  ancient  race  must  have  come  in  contact  with 
Europeans,  and  derived  this  mode  of  burial  from  them,  and 
bases  his  view  on  the  presence  of  copper  crosses  and  vases 
with  crosses  and  scalloped  circles.  Dr.  Thomas  thinks  that  they 


m,-  ■ 


# 


■'\«ii«*#- 


Copper  y.  ....  jrom  Florida. 


were  built  by  the  Shawnees,  and  says  that  "it  was  in  the  graves 
near  the  Etowah  Mounds  that  the  copper  plates  and  engraved 
shells  were  found,  which  have  given  rise  to  so  much  discussion. 
In  all  their  leading  characteristics  the  designs  are  suggestive 
of  Mexican  or  Central  American  origin;  but  the  copper  plates 
are  suggestive  of  European  influence.  First,  the  wings  rise 
from  the  back,  as  angel's  wings,  and  do  not  replace  the  arms, 
as  in  Mexican  designs;  second,  the  stamping  seems  to  have 
been  done  by  a  harder  metal  than  the  aborigines  were  acquainted 
with;  third,  that  engraved  shell  gorgets  form  a  link  which  not 
only  connects  the  Mound-Euilders  with  historic  times,  but  tends 
to  corroborate  that  the  stone  graves  were  built  by  the  Shawnees." 
On  the  other  hand.  Dr.  Thomas  Wilson  maintains  that  the 
copper  relics  and  the  shell  gorgets  found  in  the  Etowah 
Mound  and  in  the  stone  graves,  prove  that  there  was  contact 


330  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

with  historic  countries  in  prehistoric  times,  and  that  Buddhistic 
symbols  may  be  recog^nized  in  various  localities. 

Bartram's  description  of  the  burial  customs  of  the  Choctaws 
proves  that  they  rather  than  the  Shawnees,  were  the  Stone  Grave 
people.  After  keeping  the  bodies  of  the  dead  heroes  for  a 
time,  they  make  a  grand  funeral.  The  people  then  take  the 
coffins  and  slowly  proceed  to  the  place  of  interment,  where 
they  place  the  cofifins  in  order,  forming  a  pyramid  of  them, 
and  lastly  cover  all  with  earth,  which  makes  a  conical  hill  or 
mound.  This  proves  that  the  Stone  Grave  people  were  Mus- 
cogees,  but  there  are  analogies  between  the  Muscogees  and 
the  Mayas  which  are  also  very  surprising.  These  analogies  are 
as  follows:  i,  the  rotunda  resembles  the  caracol  in  shape  and 
1  ication;  2,  the  great  house,  or  public  square,  resembles  the 
palace;  3,  the  platform  mounds  resemble  the  terraced  pyramids; 
4,  tlie  artificial  lakes  resemble  the  cenotes;  5,  the  earth  walls 
on  either  side  of  the  chunky  yards  resemble  the  "seats"  on 
cither  side  of  the  "gymnasium";  6,  the  location  of  the 
rotunda,  with  its  serpent  pillars,  near  the  chunky  yard,  is  the 
same  as  that  of  the  stairway  and  temple,  with  the  serpent 
balustrade. 

Copper  relics  have  been  found  in  Florida,  which  differ  in 
all  respects  from  those  found  among  the  Mound-Builders. 
These  have  been  described  by  Mr.  Clarence  E.  Moore,  who 
has  made  many  discoveries  among  the  sand  mounds.  He 
claims  that  these  copper  relics  are  prehistoric,  and  show  the 
symbolism  which  prevailed  in  Florida. 

Mr.  Moore  describes  a  piece  of  sheet  copper,  with  a  central 
boss  and  elliptical  ornaments  at  the  corners;  also  an  oval  orna- 
ment, with  oval  boss  surrounded  by  double  lines  of  beaded 
ornamentation;  another  oval  boss;  also  two  elliptical  beads  of 
sheet  copper,  and  a  small  button  of  copper;  all  of  which  were 
found  at  Port  Royal,  Florida*  He  says  that  the  presence  bf 
bark  and  vegetable  fabrics  with  the  copper  is  almost  universal. 
A  breast  plate,  with  a  decoration  consisting  of  circles  and  sym- 
bols, arranged  in  a  very  regular  manner,  but  showing  rivets 
which  have  joined  two  small  copper  sheets,  all  of  which  ex- 
hibited the  workmanship  of  the  prehistoric  people,  was  found 
in  the  same  region. 

V.  The  symbolism  of  the  Southern  Mound-Builders  remains 
to  be  described.  We  have  seen  that  there  was  a  great  differ- 
ence in  the  religious  systems  of  the  Mound-Building  tribes; 
for  those  situated  in  Wisconsin  were  evidently  totemistic  ani- 
mal worshipers;  those  in  Ohio  were  sun  worshipers;  the  Stone 
Grave  people  were  apparently  given  to  the  worship  of  the 
heavenly  bodies  and  the  personification  of  the  Nature  powers; 
while  those  in  the  Gulf  States  possessed  idols,  which  they 
placed  in  their  houses  and  on  the  pyramids. 

We  may  say  that  there  is  no  part  of  the  Mississippi  Valley 

•See  the  figures  on  the  preceding  page. 


THE   SOUTHERN   MOUND-BUILDERS. 


331 


where  symbols  are  more  numerous  than  among  these  stone 
graves  and  the  pyramid  mounds  of  the  Gulf  States.  This  is 
found  in  the  spool  ornaments,  in  the  shell  gorgets,  in  the  cop- 
per plates,  as  well  as  upon  the  pottery;*  but  is  somewhat  diffi- 
•cult  to  unravel.  There  is,  to  be  Sure,  a  distinction  between  the 
symbolism  and  the  ornaments,  and  yet  the  fact  that  both  are 
found  to  resemble  those  prevailing  among  the  Southwest  tribes, 
as  very  suggestive. 

The  spool  ornaments  found  in  the  stone  graves  and  in  the 
Ohio  mounds,  show  that  there  was  considerable  intercourse 
between  the  tribes  of  the  Mississippi  Valley.  These  spool- 
shaped  articles  were  always  of  copper,  and  resembled  the  ear- 
rings which  may  be  seen  on  the  copper  plates  found  near  the 
Etowah   Mound,  and  on   the  shell  gorgets  found  in  the  stone 


Sun  Symbol  on  Shell   Gorget. 

graves.  They  were  probably  used  for  holding  the  tassels,  or 
feather  bundles,  which  were  the  ensigns  of  office  with  the 
•chiefs  and  medicine  men. 

They  resemble  the  ornaments  which  are  seen  on  nearly  all 
the  human  figures  found  in  the  codices  of  the  Mayas,  as  well 
as  those  which  are  sculptured  on  the  fa(;ades  of  the  shrines  and 
temples.  The  same  is  true  of  the  bands  encircling  the  ankles, 
the  legs,  wrists  and  arms  of  the  dancing  figures.  There  is  no 
such  combination  of  symbols  in  these  dancing  figures,  as  may 
be  seen  in  the  image  of  the  god  Tlaloc,  for  in  the  latter  we  find 
the  shoulders  draped  with  a  tiger  skin.  The  rna.xtli,  or  sash, 
is  in  the  shape  of  a  serpent,  and  the  head-dress  is  full  of  all 

•The  plate  representing  the  pottery  from  the  Cypress  Swamps  shows  the  various  synnbol 
which  were  common  among  the  Southern  Mound-Builders  lu  this  we  see  the  serp«nt,  the 
.cross,  the  circles  and  the  suastika.  The  shell  gorgets  from  the  Stone  Graves  also  exhibit  the 
same  figures. 


33'2 


PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 


kinds  of  symbols  of  the  vegetable  and  animal^world,  showing 
that  the  symbolism  had  become  complicated;  -  But_^so  far  as  it 
goes,  the  symbolism  of 
the  Stone  Grave  peo- 
ple and  the  Southern 
Mound-Builders  was  of 
the  same  general  char- 
acter. 

There  is  consider- 
able resemblance  be- 
tween the  symbols  of 
this  people  and  those 
which  are  given  by  the 
mythology  of  the  vari- 
ous Indian  tribes,  for 
we  find  the  number 
four  in  the  looped 
square,  with  the  birds' 
heads  projecting  from 
the  square;  also  in  the 
cross  contained  in  the 
square;  the  lines  which 


Birds'  Heads  and  Looped  Square. 


form  the  square  itself,  and  the  dots  and  circles  which  are  in- 
scribed upon  the  shells,  as  well  as  in  the  joints  of  the  spiders'" 
legs,  showing  that  the  number  four  was  very  sacred.     We  find 

also  that  the  num- 
ber thirteen  is  not 
so  common  as  in 
Central  America,, 
nor  the  number 
twenty;  yet,  it  may 
have  been  intro- 
duced among  the 
civilized  races  by 
the  priests,  who 
made  their  sacred 
year  to  consist  m^ 
the  multiplying  of 
thirteen  by  twenty, 
and  the  secular  year 
by  multiplying 
eighteen  by  twenty. 
The  comparison  be- 
tween the  symbol- 
ism of  the  Pueblos 
and  the  Mound- 
I^uilders  is  very 
marked.  Here,  we  find  seven  and  thirteen  are  sacred  num- 
bers. These  are  drawn  from  the  four  quarters  of  the  sk}-, 
with  the  zenith  and  the  nadir  added,  making  six,  which,  with 


spider  Gorget  from  Missouri. 


THE    SOUTHERN    MOUND-BUILDERS. 


385 


the  same  division  of  the  sky  and  the  common  center,  gives  us 
the  number  thirteen;  exactly  as  the  four  divisions  of  the  sky 

and  the  earth,  with  the 
throne  of  the  emperor 
in  the  center,  gives  the 
number  nine  to  the 
Celestial  Empire.  The 
resemblance  between 
the  sj'mbolism  of  the 
wild  tribes  of  the  North 
and  that  of  the  Mound- 
Builders,  has  been  taken 
by  some  to  prove  that 
there  was  no  difference 
between  the  people;  the 
tribes  were  all  alike,  and 
were  in  contrast  with 
the  people  of  the  South- 
west. 

We    have,    however. 
Fighting  Figures  from  Stone  Graves.        ^^^^^     ^^     compare     the 

fighting  figures  which  are  seen  upon  the  shell  gorgets  with  the 
figures  found  in  Central  America,  to  prove  that  there  must  have 
been  contact.  There  are  birds'  wings  and  claws  in  these  figures, 
just  as  there  are  birds' wings  in  the  shield  of  the  Priesthood  of 
the  Bow  found  among  the  Pueblos,  and  in  the  thunder  bird  orna- 
ments of  the  Thlinkits.  But  in  the  latter  there  are  no  arms  along 
with  the  wings;  while  with  the  gorgets,  the  arms  are  promi- 
nent, and  the  hands  hold 
weapons,  as  important 
parts  of  the  figure.  The 
fact,  however,  that  the 
serpent  and  the  circle 
are  so  closely  associated 
with  the  symbols  com- 
mon among  the  civilized 
tribes  of  the  Southwest, 
would  show  that  they 
were  either  borrowed 
from  them,  or  were  de- 
veloped independently, 
and  yet  embodied  the 
same  fundemental  prin- 
ciples. 

The  great  serpent  in 

the  Ohio   Valley   shows  piguting  Figures  from  Mexico. 

how  promment  this  sym- 
bol was  among  the    Mound-Builders  of    that  region,  but   the 
combination   of    the    serpent,  the    cross,  the   circle,  the  bird, 
the  winged  figure,  and  the  human  image,  shows  that  symbolism 


334 


PREHISTORIC    MONUMENTS. 


had  reached  a  great  perfection  among  these  Southern  Mound- 
Builders,  and  only  needed  the  presence  of  a  more  cultivated 
priesthood  for  it  to  equal  that  which  existed  in  the  Southwest. 
The  shell  gorgets  found  in  the  stone  graves  are  very  inter- 
esting on  account  of  their  symbolism,  as  they  indicate  a 
familiarity  with  the  motion  of  the  heavenly  bodies  and  the 
apparent  revolution  of  the  sky,  and  the  habit  of  personifying 
the  Nature  powers  under  the  figures  of  birds,  spiders,  serpents, 
circles,  crosses,  and  occasionally  human  faces. 

The  engraved  shell  gorgets  and  the  copper  plates  found  in 
the  mounds  of  the  Gulf  States,  are  deserving  of  a  closer  study 
than  they  have  ever  received;  for  they  show  that  a  religious 
system  had  been  developed  among  them,  far  more  elaborate 
than  any  among  the  wild  tribes  of    the  North.     And  it  was 

purely  of  prehistoric  origin, 
and  not  owing  to  contact 
with  the  white  man  after 
the  time  of  the  Discovery. 
The  point  which  we  shall 
make  from  all  these  facts, 
is  that  the  Mound-Builders, 
and  especially  those  situa- 
ted in  the  Gulf  States,  \a  ere 
not  by  any  means  as  recent 
in  origin,  or  as  wild  and 
uncultivated,  as  many  have 
imagined  them  to  be. 

The  attempt  to  identify 
them  with  the  modern 
Indians  has  been  over-rid- 
den, and  has  had  a  tend- 
ency to  put  the  Mound- 
Builders,  as  a  class,  in  the 
wrong  light,  for  there  is  no  Indian  tribe  of  the  present  time 
■who  properly  represents  the  real  condition  of  the  Mound- 
Builders  of  the  prehistoric  age.  There  was  certainly  a  differ- 
ence between  them  and  the  Indians  as  at  present  known,  and 
it  is  far  better  to  take  the  picture  presented  by  their  works 
and  relics  as  our  guide,  than  to  take  the  Indians,  degraded  as 
they  have  been  by  contact  with  the  white  man,  as  representa- 
tives of  the  people  who  have  passed  away,  but  whose  works  are 
still  remaining  upon  the  soil,  and  whose  relics  are  gathered  in 
museums  and  cabinets  for  our  inspection.  The  resemblance 
between  the  Southern  Mound-Builders  which  occupied  the 
region  from  the  Etowah  Mound  to  the  Great  Cahokia  Mound, 
and  on  farther  west  to  the  Cypress  Swamps  of  Missouri,  is  on 
the  other  hand  very  striking.  This  resemblance  is  found  in  the 
pottery  and  the  symbols  seen  on  the  shell  gorgets,  as  well  as 
in  the  shape  of  the  mounds  themselves. 

The  pipes  and  the  pottery  which  are  made  in  imitation  of 


Suasiika  on  Shell  Goryet. 


THE   SOUTHERN    MOUND-BUILDERS.  335 

biids  and  animals,  are  numerous  in  the  stone  graves;  while  idol 
pipes  are  more  numerous  in  the  region  of  the  pyramids.  The 
best  of  these  were  plowed  up  near  the  base  of  the  pyramid 
mounds  on  the  Etowah  River  many  years  ago. 

The  Southern  Mound-Builders,  however,  seem  to  have 
recognized  the  motion  of  the  sky,  for  all  of  the  symbols,  such 
a-  the  serpents  and  crescents,  hooked  cross,  and  birds'  heads, 
are  presented  in  coils,  as  if  to  represent  revolving  motion.  The 
circles  also  are  arranged  in  a  way  to  suggest  the  sun,  moon  and 
heavenly  bodies.  Even  the  human  figures  have  bent  legs  and 
arms,  and  hemispherical  heads.  The  various  elements  also 
seem  to  have  been  recognized  and  symbolized,  tor  the  spicier 
has  the  zigzag  in  its  mandibles,  to  symbolize  lightning.  Its 
legs  were  divided  into  four  parts,  the  hooked  cross  inside  of  a 
circle  forms  the  body,  while  the  four  bars  and  eight  dots  are 
seen  in  the  tail.  The  birds'  heads  projecting  from  the  looped 
square,  with  an  eight-rayed  star  inside  the  square,  and  a  circle 
and  cross  on  the  face  of  the  star,  evidently  symbolized  the  air, 
or  rather  sky,  in  motion.  The  symbols  for  fire  are  not  so  easily 
recognized,' yet  the  suastika  was  originally  a  fire-generator. 
The  earth  was  also  symbolized  in  the  shell  gorgets. 

The  wooden  relics  which  were  discovered  by  Mr.  F.  H. 
Cushing  on  the  Island  Keyes  off  the  coast  of  Florida,  are  also 
carved  in  imitation  of  birds  and  animals,  showing  that  even 
here  an  ancient  people  lived,  who  were  allied  to  the  Mound- 
Builders. 

It  is  strange  that  a  people  should  have  lived  here  on  an 
island  remote  from  the  coast,  and  remain  totally  unknown 
until  by  accident  their  works  were  brought  to  light.  For  many 
vessels  had  passed  by  these  Keyes  and  many  visitors  had  landed 
•ori  the  shores  without  knowing  that  they  had  ever  been  in- 
habited. 

It  was  found  that  the  earthworks,  which  were  erected  in  the 
midst  of  the  island,  had  the  same  general  shape  as  those  in  the 
■Gulf  States.  They  were  pyramids  and  had  graded  ways  lead- 
ing from  the  water  to  their  summits;  but  they  arose  out  of  the 
water,  giving  the  idea  that  the  people  who  built  them  were 
.navigators  and  fishermen,  but  they  also  led  a  village  life  simi- 
lar to  the  Southern  Mound-Builders.  The  chief  peculiarity  of 
the  village  was  that  it  was  surrounded  by  an  embankment, 
which  was  veneered  with  conch  shells,  and  protected  from  the 
force  of  the  waves  by  this  means.  There  was  an  opening 
through  the  embankment  by  which  the  people  entered  the 
'bayou  and  reached  their  habitations.  It  is  supposed  that  into 
the  same  opening,  schools  of  fish  were  driven,  and  that  it  served 
as  an  immense  fish  weir. 

Prof.  Putnam,  in  his  comments  upon  this  find,  points  out 
the  resemblance  between  the  wooden  objects  and  masks  and 
those  found  in  Central  America,  South  America,  Alaska  and 
•the  Northwest  Coast,  and  founds  an  argument  upon  this  that 


3a6 


PREHISTORIC   MONUMENTS. 


the  Mound-Builders  migrated  from  the  West  to  the  East,  and 
finally  reached  the  Florida  Keyes;  and  that  they  early  had 
their  home  in  the  Central  American  region,  which  extended 
around  the  gulf  to  Florida. 

VI.  The  idols  found  in  the  mounds  are  very  significant. 
These  images  remind  us  of  those  sometimes  seen  on  the  facades 
of  the  palaces  in  Central  America.  The)'  also  remind  us  of  the 
worship  of  the  god  of  war,  of  rain,  of  death,  and  the  god  of 
light,  which  prevailed  in  Mexico.  These  idols  became  scat- 
tered, some  being  found  in  Ohio  and  various  parts  of  the 
Mississippi  Valley;  but  the  images  found 
in  the  so-called  "dead  houses"  of  the 
Southern  tribes  indicate  that  their 
religious  system  was  different  from  that 
of  the  Ohio  tribes. 

The  idols  of  the  Stone  Grave  peo- 
ple are  of  various  sizes,  from  large  stone 
images,  two  feet  or  more  in  height,  <o 
small  clay  figures  not  over  three  inches 
in  length.  They  were  made  of  sand- 
stone, limestone,  fluor  spar  and  stalac- 
tite, as  well  as  of  clay.  Some  have  been 
discox'ered  in  caves,  others  on  the  sum- 
mits of  high  mounds,  a  few  in  the  depths 
of  the  mounds;  but  a  large  majorit)- 
ha\'e  been  picked  up  from  the  surface. 
One  of  these  is  represented  in  the  cut. 
It  was  found  in  a  cave  in  Knox  Co., 
Tennessee.  It  may  have  been  fashioned 
from  a  large  stalactite.  It  is  twenty 
inches  in  length  and  weighs  thirty- 
seven  pounds.  It  shows  a  prominent 
nose,  heavy  eye-brows,  full  cheeks, 
broad  square  chin  and  retreating  fore- 
head; all  of  wliich  are  features  of  the 
Muscogees  or  Southern  Indians.  The 
mouth  is  formed  by  a  projecting  ring;  a 
groove  runs  across  the  facr,  between  the 
nose  and  mouth,  in  this  respect  it  re- 
sembles the  sculptured  figures  found  in  Mexico  and  Central 
America. 

Another  -idol  in  a  sitting  position,  was  found  in  Perry 
County,  Tennessee.  Gen.  G.  P.  Thruston,  the  best  authority 
on  the  antiquities  of  Tennessee,  has  described  several  stone 
idols  and  terra  cotta  images  found  in  the  Stone  Grave  settle- 
ments at  Nashville.  These  show  the  flattened  forehead,  and 
vertical  occiput,  characteristic  of  the  crania  of  the  Stone  Grave 
Race,  He  says  the  features  of  the  face  were  of  a  heavy 
Ethiopian  cast,  similar  to  those  of  ihe  dark  image  in  the  pot- 
tery idols  shown  in  the  plate.     Traces  of  garments  are  some- 


Idolfrom  Knox  Co., 
Tennessee. 


WOODKN   TABLETS   AND    PAINTED   SHELL   FROM    THE    FLORIDA   KEYES. 

^'f't  'Jt-'u'  ^'"efi^her  Crest  of  the  warrior  class.     Fig.  2  is  an  Ancestral  Tablet.     Fir   ■,  is  the  Horned  Croi^n 

it  "l^wiJl'^r't""!  H    "^^'^r-K^'"  P^'^Jl*^  °"  '•''  ^^"-l"  °^  '»^f  «'"'  ^^"ed  hoifesof  the  Creek   Indians- 
Fig.  4  «  •She41  painted  w,th  the  humanized  bird  god,  resembling  thJcopper  bird-^od  fgund  at  Etowah  Mound 


IDOL   PIPE    FROil    THE   AD£NA   MOUND. 


THE    SOUTHERN    MOUND-BUILDERS. 


3S9« 


times  found  on  images  of  clay.  The  hands  of  the  clay  figures 
were  frequently  found  in  the  same  position. 

Mr.  Caleb  Atwater  mentions  two  idols,  found  in  a  tumulus 
near  Nashville,  Tennessee;  another,  near  Natchez,  Mississippi. 
Thomas  Jefferson  mentions  two  Indian  busts,  found  on  the 
Cumberland  River.  Du  Pratz  says  the  Natchez  had  a  temple 
filled  with  idols,  images  of  men  and  women  of  stone  and  baked 
clay.  According  to  the  "  Brevis  Narratio,"  the  Indians  venera- 
ted, as  an  idol,  the  column  which  Ribault  had  erected,  to  which 
they  offered  the  finest  fruits,  perfumed  oils,  bows  and  arrows, 
and  decorated  it  with  wreaths  of  flowers. 

De  Soto  found  a  large  temple  at  Talomeco,  in  which  were 
gigantic  statues  of  wood,  carved  with  considerable  skill,  which 
stood  "in  a  threatening  attitude  and  ferocious  looks,"  at  the 


Idol  from.  Tenticssec. 


Idol  from  Georgia. 


entrance.  The  interior  of  the  temple  was  decorated  with 
statues.  Adair  saw  carved  human  statues  of  wood,  in  the 
Muscogee  country,  which  seemed  to  be  "the  effigies  of  heroes 
and  the  symbols  of  tribal  pomp  and  power."  ..   ^jfc^ 

There  was,  however,  a  difference  between  the  idols  found  in 
the  Gulf  States  and  the  image  pipes,  or  so-called  idol  pipes, 
sometimes  found  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio.  This  difference  will 
be  seen  in  reading  the  description  of  one  recently  discovered  in 
Ohio,  by  Mr.  \V.  C.  Mills,  of  the  Archaeological  Society  of  Ohio. 
The  following  is  his  description  of  the  mound  and  pipe: 

The  Adena  Mound  is  on  the  estate  owned  by  Governor  Worthington. 
This  mound  belongs  to  the  Chillicothe  group.  From  its  iummit  the  noted 
Mound  City  could  be  seen  directly  to  the  north;  also  the  Chillicothe  group 
to  the  south,  directly  east  was  the  Scioto  River,  to  the  west  is  the  large  hilL 


540  PREHISTORIC  MONUMENTS. 

on  which  is  the  mansion  called  "  Adena."  Near  the  mound  at  the  foot  of 
the  hill  was  an  artificial  lake,  from  which  the;  dirt  was  taken  in  buildinj^  the 
mound.  It  measured  26  feet  in  height  and  445  feet  in  circumference.  The 
mound  was  built  at  two  different  periods.  In  the  first  period  the  origi- 
nal mound  was  20  feet  high,  with  a  base  90  feet  in  diameter.  It  was  con- 
structed of  dark  sand  taken  from  the  lake.  In  the  second  period  the  mound 
was  covered  with  a  few  ftet  of  soil  different  from  that  used  in  the  first 
period.  The  base  was  extended  more  than  fifty  feet;  the  apex,  twelve  or 
fifteen  feet.  The  burials  belonged  to  both  periods.  In  the  first  period,  a 
rude  sepulchre,  made  of  unhewn  logs,  was  below  the  surface,  and  the  body 
deposited  in  this.  In  a  number  of  cases  the  loose  earth  was  removed  from 
the  sepulchres,  disclosing  lar^e  rooms,  some  ten  feet  long  and  seven  feet 
wide,  with  an  arched  roof,  high  enough  for  a  man  to  stand  upright  in  them. 
I  1  the  second  period,  the  burials  were  quite  different:  no  sepulchers  were 
prepared  for  the  dead ;  not  one  of  the  skeletons  was  covered  with  bark,  and 
only  one  showed  any  trace  of  a  woven  fabric.  This  was  preserved  around 
a  copper  bracelet. 

The  idol  pipe  represented  in  the  plate  was  taken  from  the  bottom  of 
this  mound,  and  from  a  sepulchre  made  of  large  logs,  placed  eight  feet 
apart,  the  top  covered  with  smaller  logs.  The  implemenls  and  ornaments 
were  placed  promiscuously  in  the  stpulchre.  The  effigy  represents  the 
liuman  form  in  a  nude  state,  except  a  covering  about  the  loins.  On  the 
front  of  this  covering  was  a  snail-like  ornamentation.  The  mouth-piece 
^^ormed  a  part  of  the  headdress  of  the  image.  The  front  part  of  the  pipe 
was  gray  and  the  back,  brick  red,  and  covered  with  a  deposit  of  iron  ore. 
From  the  lobe  of  each  ear  hung  an  ear-ornament,  resembling  the  button- 
•shaped  copper  ornaments  frequently  found  in  the  mounds. 

This  review  of  the  religion  of  the  Mound-Builders  is  fragment- 
ary and  somewhat  unsatisfactory,  but  so  far  as  revealed  by  the 
symbols  and  the  relics,  the  conclusion  is  warranted,  that  there 
was  a  progressive  series  from  the  North  to  the  South,  consist- 
ing of  animal  worship  and  sun  worship,  the  worship  of  the 
•elements  and  the  sky,  and  the  worship  of  human  attributes,  in 
the  shape  of  idols,  but  no  apprehension  of  the  personality  of 
the  Supreme  Being,  this  indicates  that  the  Mound-Builders, 
as  a  whole,  had  developed  whatever  system  they  had,  inde- 
pendently of    all   other   nations. 


.1  NDEX 


Adams  Co.,  111..  Serpent  Effigy  in, 

123- 

Adams  Co.,  Ohio,   Serpent  Effigy 

in,  123. 
Adena  Mound,  174,  179,  339. 
Alexanderville,  O.,  86,  138,264,  265. 
Algonqums,  21,64,  116. 
Alligator  Mound,  Granville,  O.,  230. 
Altars,  47,    124,   165;    231,   242,   243, 

260. 
Animal  Effigies,  71,  227,  228. 
Antiquity  of   Mounds,  31,  53,  138. 
Appalachian  Mountains,  27,  215. 
Arkansas,  Mounds  in,  122,  145,  215, 

217. 
Arrow  Heads,  283. 
Ashtabula,  O  ,  Mounds  at,  192, 
Asia,  Niounds  in,  5. 
Atwater.  Caleb,  52,  88,  90,  135,  252^ 
Aztlan,  Wis.,  no,  170,  171,  216. 

Banner  Stones,  37,  290. 
Bartram,  146,  259. 
Baum  Works,  126. 
Beacon  Mounds.  189. 
Beauchamp,  Rev.  Wm.,  137,  194. 
Beehive  Tombs,  115,  127,  128, 
Beloit,  Wis.,  Mound  at,  71. 
Binkley,  S.  H.,  208,  270. 
Big  Harpeth,  Tenn.,  216  267, 
Big  Twin  Works,  207,  270. 
Bird-shaped  Amulets,  285,  289. 
Bird  Pipes,  280. 
Blackwater  Group,  238. 
Bourneville,  O..  115,  155,  192,  210. 
Brackenridge,  J.  M.,  98,  176,  177. 
Brinton,  Dr.  D.  G.,  102,  121. 
British  Columbia.  Mounds  in,  341. 
Brooding  Ornaments,  288. 
Brush  Creek,  85,  139. 
Buffalo  and  Indians,  The,  49-55, 
Burial  Mounds,  12,  59-74. 

Cahokia  Mound,   98.  159.  175,   178, 

,285. 
California  Relics,  34. 
Carlisle  Fort,  209. 
Carr,  Lucien,  126. 
Cartier,  Jacques,  19,  280, 
Cass  County,  111.,  233,  242, 
Catawba  Indians,  128. 


Catlin,  J.  C,  121. 

Cedar  Banks,  Works  at.  89,  268,  269. 

Chambered  Mounds,  75,  223-226. 

Chattahoochie  River,  Mounds  on, 
178. 

Chatanooga,  179,  285. 

Cherokees,  97,  iio,  116,  116,  118,  125, 
131.  235. 

Chillicothe,  O.,  85,  156,  191. 

Choctaws,  29;  Map,  183. 

Chunky  Stones,  286,  290. 

Cincinnati,  O..  Works  at,  85.  117, 

Circles  and  Crosses,  55.  84,94,  152, 
217,  231,  249.  255,  263,  266,  269, 
284.  297,  304,  306. 

Circlevilie,  O.,  W^orksat,86, 190,269. 

Clan  Emblems,  22,  71,  122,  144. 

Clans  among  the  Mound-Builders, 
141-  144.  155.  185- 

Clark's  Works,  89,  95,  196,  197. 

Cloth  in  Mounds,  52, 69,  184, 234, 283. 

Coleraine  Works,  95,  198. 

Concentric  Circles,  135,  256. 

Cook  Farm,  Mounds  on,  233. 

Copper  Relics— Awls, 67,  234;  Axes, 
40,  43.  46,  52,  69;  Beads,  234,  267; 
Bell.  333.  Chisels,  234;  Cres- 
cents, 247;  Crosses,  266,  332; 
Disks,  248;  Masks,  79;  Mines,  35, 
349;  Plates,  51,  52,  327;  Rings, 
179.  274,  312,  329.  332;  Spools, 
234.  236,  239,  261,  266. 

Covered  Ways,  93. 

Crawford  County,  Wisconsin,  225. 

Creek  Indians,  131. 

Crescent  Earthworks,  228,  256. 

Crescent  Pavements.  262,  269. 

Cultus  of  the  Mound-Builders,  133- 
148. 

Dakota,  Mounds  in,  24,  62,  67,  114, 

142. 
Dakotas,  29,64,  85,  113,  118,  120,  139, 

142. 
Davenport  Academy,  41,  45,  53,  68. 
Davenport  Mounds,  43,  67,  283. 
Davenport  Pipes,  41,  233. 
Davenport  Tablets,  43,  48. 
Dawson,  Sir  William,  116,  137,  150. 
Dayton,  O  ,  Works  at,  138,  198. 
Defensive  Walls,  92. 


342 


INDEX. 


Defensive  Works,  185,  220.  - 
Delawares,  21,  26,  121,  I2g. 
Des  Moines  River,  122,  136. 
Detroit,  Mich.,  74. 
Districts,  Different,  Map  of,  182. 
Divisions  of  Territory,  15,  23,  62. 
Dunlap's  Works,  i?g,  140. 

Eagles.  Copper,  52.  171. 
East  Tennessee,  Works  in,  118. 
East  St.  Louis,  Works  at,  qS. 
East  Dubuciue,  Works  at,  224,  226. 
Effigy  Mounds,  71,  227,  250. 
Effigy  Pipes, 197,  273. 
Elephant  Pipes,  41. 
Enclosures  in  Ohio,  18,  26.  51-56. 
Eries,  The,  116. 
Etowah  Mound,  161,  179,  314.? 
Etowah,  Ga.,  Works  at;  141,  285, 
Europe,  Mounds  in,  16,  60. 
Evansville.  Ind.,  Works  at,  170, 
Excelsior,  Minn.,  Mounds  at,  (£. 

Falling  Gardens,  106,  177. 

Fcatherstoneaugh,  163. 

Fire  Beds,  38,  115,  237.  302,  312,  313. 

Fire  Worship,  172.  231-237, 

Flint  Ridge,  35,  57. 

Flint  Hoes.  35,  289. 

Florida,  Rehcs  in,  38. 

Florida,  Works  in,  38,  337. 

Fort  Ancient,  203,  241. 

Fort  Hill,  201,  266. 

Fort  in  Clark  County,  Ind..  212. 

Forts  on  Miami  River,  196. 

Forts  on  Scioto  River.  210. 

Fortified  Hill,  206,  216,  218. 

Fortified  Villages,  39,    148,  194. 

Galena,  Illinois,  Mounds  at,  65. 
Game  Drives,  rjS. 
Garden  Beds,  35. 

Gasconade  County,  Missouri,  11.39. 
Gateways,  151,  199,  204.  212. 
Geographical  Divisions,  23,  62,  182. 
Georgia,  Mounds  in,  35,  280. 
Gold  Ornament,  38. 
Gorgets,  Shell,  128,  264,  305. 
Graded  Ways,  153,  175. 
Grades  of  Culture,  136,  353-356. 
Granville,  O.,  Mounds  at,  155,  195,  230 
Grave  Creek  Mound,  76,  114,  121. 
Graves  of  Indians,  324,  335. 
Great  Miami  River,  189,  196. 
Grotesque  Portraits,  277. 

Habitation  Mounds,  214,  264. 
Hamilton  County,  O.,  197. 
Hand  Symbol,  301,  302. 
Hardinsburg  Fort,  O.,  116. 
Hearths,  209. 
High  Bank,  87,  149. 
Highland  County,  O.,  190. 


Hill  Forts,  206-211. 
Hochelaga,  138,  146. 
Hocking  Creek,  85. 
Hoes  and  Spades,  35,  275. 
Holmes,  W.  H.,  187,  301,  307. 
Hopeton,  O.,  51.  89,  149,  255,  266. 
Horn  Handles,  104. 
Horse-shoe  Symbol,  207,  249,  303. 
Hubbard,  Hon.  Bela,  74. 
Human  Sacrifices,  298. 
Hunter  Tribes,  63  64,  225. 
Hurons,  279. 

Idols,  288,  317,  339. 

Illinois,  Mounds  in,  17,  24,  53,  56-57, 

63.  67,  69,  122,  130,  158.  224,  236, 

242,  302,  306. 
Illinois  River,  Mounds  on,  52,  56-57, 
Images,  Pottery,  108,  339. 
Images,  Stone,  339. 
Implements  of  Bone,  326. 
Indiana,  Mounds  in,  24,  41,' 63,  86, 

212,  235,  257,  261,  264. 
Indians  and  Mound-Builders,  50-58. 
Indian  Traditions,  120,  125,  130,  137, 

140,  142,  144,  165,  229,  232,  237, 

247.  281. 
Indian  Villages,  55,  135,  141. 
Inscribed  Tablets,  48. 
Intruded  Burials,  124. 
Iowa,  Mounds  in,  24,  53,  63,  67,  130, 

224.  225-226. 
lowas,  129,  Map. 

Iroquois,  26,  119,  I2g,  226,  279,  282. 
Iron  in  Mounds,  60. 

Jade,  36- 

Johnson,  H.  L.,  108. 
Jones,  C.  C,  Hon.,  30,  190. 
Jones,  Dr.  Joseph,  216. 

Kaskaskia,  loi. 

Kenawha  Valley,  27,  115,  131,  258. 

Kentucky,  "38,  41,  139. 

Keokuk,  136. 

Kickapoos,  Map. 

Kinney,  T.  W.,  250. 

Knives,  104. 

Kocb,  Dr.,  39. 

Koshkohong,  71. 

Kunz,  G.  F.,  38. 

Lake-dwellings,  34. 
Lake  Michigan,  23. 
Lapham,  Dr.  J.  A.,  i8g. 
Leaf-shaped  Implements,  242. 
Leni  Lenape,  121. 
Lodge  Circles,  145,  219. 
Lookout  Mounds,  187-192. 
Louisiana,  Pyramds  in,  175,  178. 

Maces,  181,  275,  287. 
Marietta,  Ohio,  83,  89,  91,  152. 


INDEX. 


843 


Marquette,  i68. 

Masks,  228 

Massie's  Creek,  211,  241. 

Mastodon,  32,  30,  41. 

McAdams,  William,  162. 

Messier  Mound,  182, 

Mexican  Semblances,  180. 

Mexico,  34,  36. 

Miami  River,  116,  156,  256,  265. 

Miamisburg,  Ohio,  86,  igi. 

Mica  Crescents,  262,  298. 

Mica  Mines,  35. 

Micos  Cabin.  145. 

Middle  District,  114  132. 

Middle  Tennessee.  104. 

Military  Works,  25,  137,  141,  i8g. 

Mississippi,  Pyramids  in,  311-312. 

Mississippi  River  Relics,  277. 

Missouri,  Mastodon  in,  39. 

Missouri  Pottery,  322. 

Missouri  Kivtr,  Mounds  on,  114. 

Mitchell  Station,  56. 

Moquis,  236. 

Moline,  Illinois,  52,  69,  233. 

Monk's  Mound,  100. 

Moon  Cult.  237-244. 

Margan,  L.  H..  143,  353. 

Moorehead,  W.  K.,  50,  203,  242. 

Mounds,  Altar,  47,  124,  231,  242,  260, 

297.  309-324. 
Mounds,  Bacon,  191. 
Mounds,  Chambered,  no,  124,  223. 
Mounds,  Conical,  265. 
Mounds,  Effigy,  23,  69,  227,  250. 
Mounds,  Fire,  in,  192,  233. 
Mounds,  Great,  iij.  164.  177,  264. 
Mounds,  High,  n7,  164,  177. 
Mounds,  Hill,  1 19,  188. 
Mounds,  Lookout,  64. 
Mounds,  Maps  of,  17,  18.  22,  47,  58, 

69,94.  1 15-  '74.  189,  263. 
Mounds,  Northern.  341. 
Mounds,  Observatory,  152. 
Mounds,  Oblong,  242. 
Mounds,  Platform.  27,  83,  150, 
Mounds,  Pyramid,  29,  157  184. 
Mounds,  Sacrificial.  93,  256. 
Mounds,  Serpent,  122,  296. 
Mounds,  Signal,  189. 
Mounds,  Stratified,  53,  56,  225,  235, 

244.  3' 3- 
Mounds,  Symbolic,  252,  269. 
Mounds,  Terraced,  166,  173,  239. 
Mounds,  Truncated,  265. 
Muscatine  Slough,  17,  68,  233. 
Muscogees,  190,  Map. 
Muskingum,  85,  ns,  256. 

Nashville,  Tenn  ,  283,  288. 

Natchez.  29,  100,  1 18. 

Newark.  O  .  86,  152,  263. 

Newburg  Mastodon,  39. 

North  Carolina,  Mounds,  27,  1 15,  128. 


Northern  Georgia,  28,  129. 
Number  of  Mounds,  20. 

Observatory  Mound,  163. 
Obsidian,  33,  261. 
Ocmulgee  River,  173-182. 
Ohio,  Defences  in,  84,  92,  ng,  122, 
Ohio,    Mounds   in,  84,  92,   ng.   122, 
126,  137,  138,  152,  188,  192,206,288. 
Ohio,  Relics  in,  34,  233, 242,  261,  268. 
278,  282,  291,315-321. 

Painesville,  Ohio,  74. 

Paint  Creek,  Ohio,  85,  87,   n5,   197, 

256,  298. 
Panther  Pipe,  no. 
Parallel  Walls,  151. 
Pavements,  204,  209,  257,  262. 
Pearls,  318,  322. 
Phallic  Worship,  300.^ 
Piketon,  154. 
Pipe  Stone  Quarry,  35. 
Platform  Mounds,  263. 
Portrait  Pipes,  283. J 
Portraits,  106. 

Portsmouth,  O..  85,  88,  94,  248,  255. 
Pottery,  102  n  2,  279. 
Pottery  Heads,  109. 
Pottery  in  Vessels,  314-325. 
Prairie  Jefferson,  174. 
Putnam,  Prof   F.  W.,  165,  235. 
Pyramid  Builders,  n4,  132,  158-184, 

307.  -v; 

Pyramid  Mounds,  157,  176,  185,  320. 

guincy.  111.,  67,  123,  296,  304. 

Races  Among  Mound-Builders,  20, 

150. 
Red  River,  63. 
Religious  Works,  221-237. 
Relics,  21,  266,  271-292, 

Sacred  Enclosures,  81-96  252,  Map. 

Sacrificial  Mounds,  93,  314, 

Sacs  and  Foxes,  237. 

Salt  Springs,  348. 

Savannah.  Tenn.,  170,  219. 

Seal  Township,  89.  239. 

Scioto  River,  87,  n5,  ng. 

Scrolls  and  Spearheads,  322. 

Sea  Shells,  251 

•"erpent  Mounds,  122,  123. 

Serpent  Pipes,  302,  322. 

Serpent  Symbol,  265,  304,  306,  322. 

Shawnees,  100,  ng,  Map. 

Shell  Beads,  33.  235,  243. 

Shell  Gorgets,  128,  132,  306. 

Silver  in  Mounds,  36,  56,  319. 

Silver  Ornaments,  38. 

Silvery  Mica,  127,  243,  262,  314. 

Solar  Cult'  245-247. 

South  Carolina.  131. 


844 


INDEX. 


Spider  Gorgets,  284,  302,  307,  332. 

Spool  Ornaments,  266. 

Squier  &  Davis,  87,  88,  125,  i3r.  235. 

St.  Louis,  1,7. 

Stockades,  193-195. 

Stockade  Villages,  38,  142,  192. 

Stone  Forts,  i  }i,  147,  211,  342 

Stone  Grave  People,  97-112.  118,  161, 

216,  220,  278,  285,  323. 
Stone  Mounds.  79,  212,  214,  312. 
Sun  Circles,  251-259. 
Sun  Symbols,  252,  260. 
Sun  Worship,  85,  125,  164,  251,  259. 

267. 
Suastika,  51,  54,  301. 
Symbolism,  82,  293,  304. 

Tablets,  42-46,  48,  303,  322. 
Tennessee,  Mounds  in,  97,  102,  112, 

128,  141,  170,  267,  301,  342. 
Terraced  Mounds,  74,  146,  158,  166, 

170,  252. 
Thomas,  Dr.  Cyrus,  73,  116. 
Thruston,  Gen  G.  P.,  99,  190,  267, 296, 
Toad  Pipe,  321. 
Toolsboro,  234. 


Totems,  22,  72,  225,  227,  229,  230, 250. 
Traditions  of  Indians,  120,  130,  137, 

142,  144.  165,  229,  237,  281. 
Trumpet  Pipe.  281. 
Tube  Pipes,  282. 
Turner  Group,  318. 

Upper  Mississippi,  63. 
Urns,  65, 

Vases,  107,  324,  326,  334.  340. 

Vaults,  70,  126. 

Villages  of  Indians,    139.    145,    187, 

I94.  215. 
Villages    of    Mound-Builders,    126, 

156,  173-194. 
Vincennes,  Ind.,  117,  igo,  264. 

Wateree  River,  Mounds  on,  see  Map. 
Winged  Figures,  173. 
Wooden  Relics,  337. 
Worthington,  O.,  Works  a»,  265. 
Woven  Cloth,  180. 
Wyalusing,  13. 
Wyandottes,  2  6129,, 


PREhSiC  AMERICA.  SSI)'°°^ 


0112  025332351 


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